White Bean Soup with Bacon Recipe
Hearty, thick bean soup is a classic of Polish dinners, especially in winter. It smells of marjoram and smoked bacon, a bit like a younger, simpler cousin of bigos. It’s ideal when you want to eat something truly warming and not think about snacking for several hours.
This white bean soup combines smoky meat, aromatic herbs and creamy beans into a deeply satisfying one-pot meal. It’s budget-friendly, filling, and tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for batch cooking.
Chef's tips
Salt the soup only when the beans are almost cooked – adding salt too early can make the skins tough. Lightly crushing the dried marjoram between your fingers before adding releases more aroma and gives the soup its characteristic Polish flavour.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls with a generous sprinkle of fresh herbs and a slice of crusty sourdough or rye bread. It pairs well with simple pickles or a light salad on the side.
Ingredients
- white beans you can use 2 cans of beans, then shorten the cooking time by 30–40 minutes - 300 g
- smoked bacon can be raw smoked or cooked smoked - 150 g
- country-style sausage for a meat-free version, omit the sausage and bacon and add more vegetables - 150 g
- carrot - 2 piece
- parsley root - 1 piece
- celeriac a small piece - 0.25 piece
- potatoes medium - 3 piece
- onion medium - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- bay leaf - 3 piece
- allspice berries - 5 piece
- dried marjoram ideally rub it between your hands before adding - 2 teaspoons
- oil or lard - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste, add towards the end of cooking
- black pepper to taste
- water or light vegetable/meat stock - 2 l
Preparation
- If using dried beans, rinse them, cover with plenty of cold water and leave to soak overnight (at least 8 hours). In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.
- Transfer the soaked beans to a large pot, cover with 2 litres of fresh water, add the bay leaves and allspice berries. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook covered for about 45–60 minutes, until the beans are almost tender.
- In the meantime, peel the carrot, parsley root, celeriac and potatoes. Cut the carrot, parsley root and celeriac into small cubes or half-slices, and the potatoes into larger cubes.
- Cut the bacon and sausage into cubes or half-slices. Peel the onion and chop it finely, finely chop the garlic.
- Heat the oil or lard in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 5–7 minutes, until the fat renders and the pieces are lightly browned.
- Add the sausage and fry for another 3–4 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.
- Add the chopped onion. Fry for 3–5 minutes over medium heat, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent without browning. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 more minute, until fragrant.
- Add the chopped vegetables (carrot, parsley root, celeriac, potatoes) and the contents of the frying pan (bacon, sausage, onion with garlic) to the pot with the almost tender beans. Stir.
- Cook everything together over low heat for another 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables and beans are soft and the soup has thickened slightly.
- Finally, season the soup with salt, pepper and marjoram. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If the soup is too thick, add a little hot water.
- Serve the soup hot, preferably with a slice of fresh bread or croutons.
Storage
Zupę fasolową przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku do 3 dni. Możesz ją też zamrozić do 3 miesięcy. Przy podgrzewaniu dodaj odrobinę wody, bo zupa gęstnieje.
