Ingredients for Bean Bacon Soup
- 1 (2-3 pound) ham hock
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 2 whole cloves garlic, plus 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 9-11 cups water, or as needed
- 8 ounces bacon
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- bacon grease (reserved from 8 ounces bacon)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
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How to Make Bean Bacon Soup
- Soak 1 pound dried beans overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 (2-3 pound) ham hock, 2 whole cloves garlic, and 1 medium onion (roughly chopped).
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- While the ham hock simmers, peel and finely chop 1 large carrot.
- Finely mince 4-6 cloves garlic (adjust to your taste).
- After 1 hour, remove the ham hock (reserve for later). Finely chop the onion from the broth. Add the chopped carrot, minced garlic, and soaked beans to the pot.
- Add 6-8 cups additional water to cover the beans. Add more as needed throughout cooking.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- While the soup simmers, fry 8 ounces Schmidt's bacon until crisp. Reserve the bacon grease.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and crumble it, discarding any very hard bits. Reserve the meaty parts.
- Add the crumbled bacon and reserved bacon grease to the soup.
- Cover and continue to simmer for at least another hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let sit overnight. The next day, simmer for 2 hours. (For best flavor, let the ham hock simmer until serving.)
- Optional: For a creamier texture, remove about 1-2 cups of soup, blend until smooth, and stir back into the pot.
Nutrition Information (Approximate per serving)
Sodium
25 g
Sugar
7g
Fat
13g
Carbs
4g