Autumn Bean Soup

With the lovely little taste of fall weather we enjoyed recently, I was eager to prepare satisfying and filling dishes that wouldn’t have me dirtying every pot in the kitchen. So I dusted off my Dutch oven and put it to good use for a few days. This dish blurs the boundary between soup and stew, and it is really delicious! Plus, you only use one pot!

You will need to set aside time to presoak your beans, either overnight or early the same morning.  Additionally, you will need to invest about one to two hours for cooking, but I can assure you, the result is well worth the effort.  I had some leftover roast turkey breast in the refrigerator and decided to add some in to fortify the soup, but this is not necessary.

Serve this with some crusty bread, a bit of delicious cheese and a simple green salad on the side. Open up a nice bottle of wine and tuck into a fabulous and delicious early fall meal.

Autumn Bean Soup

(adapted from thekitchn.com)

1 pound of dried navy beans (I used organic from Dutch Valley Foods, Myerstown, PA)

6 slices of bacon, diced (substitute 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil for vegetarian)

2 large white/yellow onions, sliced thin

3 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 cups of homemade/low sodium canned chicken stock/broth (substitute vegetable broth/ water for vegetarian)

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons dried thyme or 3-5 sprigs of fresh

sea salt/fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ pound orzo

10 ounces of fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Precooked chicken/turkey, cut into small pieces (this would work really well with a purchased rotisserie chicken/turkey breast), to taste (optional)

Grated Parmigiano cheese

Red pepper flakes

Rinse and sort through beans, then place in large bowl with enough cool water to cover. Allow to soak at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heavy Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat, until all the fat has rendered. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper-towel covered plate and pour off all but 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat.  Cook onions slowly with ½ teaspoon of salt
until they caramelize and turn golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Add celery
and carrot and cook just until celery and carrot begin to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Remove half of onion mixture to a bowl to make it easier to deglaze the pot. Pour in 1 cup of broth/water to deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Return reserved onion mixture to pot. Drain beans and add them to the pot. Add remaining broth and enough water to cover beans by one inch.  Add reserved bacon, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and smoked paprika. Cover the pot and bake in oven for 1 hour.  After the hour, begin checking the beans every 15 minutes or so until they are completely soft. 

Return pot to stove top and set over medium-high heat. (Be careful because pot and lid will be quite hot.) Add orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, adding more water if necessary.

Add chicken/turkey if using and allow to heat through. Add spinach to pot and stir until wilted. Remove bay leaf and thyme stems (if using fresh). Add nutmeg and season to taste with salt/pepper.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and a few flakes of red pepper.

Enjoy!