Cheap Eats: Smoky White Bean Soup with Herbal Crisps

I developed this recipe one day when I wanted the flavor of old-fashioned bean and bacon soup without the meat.  It's thick and delicious and will definitely take you back to those days when your mother opened a can of Campbell's Soup for your lunch!

Yep.  We eat soup year round.  It's cheap to make and if you use a crock pot or pressure cooker it doesn't take up a lot of your time and won't heat up your kitchen.  Best of all, if you make it yourself it can be low sodium and really nutritious.  

Prep Instructions:   

I make my soup in my trusty pressure cooker.  But, you can make it in a crock pot or stove top.

For the pressure cooker, just wash 4 cups of white beans and throw them into the pot.

For crock pot or stove top, soak 4 cups of beans in twice the volume of water. The next morning, drain the water and then proceed with the recipe as written.  This recipe will completely fill an 8 quart crockpot to the top. 

Chop carrots, celery, and onions.  Mince garlic.  Add to the soup pot along with 8 cups of water and a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.  I use salt free tomatoes to cut back on sodium. 

Add the seasoning, liquid smoke, and Bragg's aminos to the pot.

Pressure cooker:  cook 24 minutes under pressure with a natural release.
Crock pot:  cook 8 hours on "low" or 4-5 hours on "high".
Stove top:  bring to a boil and then lower to simmer for 90-120 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Smoky White Bean Soup

Herbal crisps. 

Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste just before serving.

Enjoy with a side of freshly baked herbal crisps. 

Herbal crisps are a great day to use up bread that is starting to go stale.  They are like huge croutons and are fantastic dipped in hot soup.  You can also serve them as a snack on their own dipped in homemade marinara sauce or french onion dip. 
 

Smoky White Bean Soup

Serves 8

White Beans - 4 cups - rinsed and sorted
Carrots - 2 medium - diced
Celery - 3 stalks -sliced
Onion - 1 medium - diced
Garlic - 4 cloves - minced
Crushed Tomatoes - 28 ounce can
Water - 8 cups
No salt seasoning - 1 Tblsp.
Garlic Powder - 1 tsp.
Onion Powder - 1 Tblsp
Dried Parsley - 1 Tblsp.
Dried Basil - 1 Tblsp
Liquid Smoke - 1 Tblsp.
Bragg's Aminos - 1 Tblsp. (optional.  Or add 1 Tblsp. of soy sauce instead) 
Fresh cracked black pepper - to taste

Instructions. 

I make my soup in my trusty pressure cooker.  But, you can make it in a crock pot or stove top.  

For the pressure cooker:  just wash 4 cups of white beans and throw them into the pot.  

For crock pot or stove top:  soak 4 cups of beans in twice the volume of water. The next morning, drain the water and then proceed with the recipe as written.  This recipe will fill an 8 quart crockpot or cooking pot to the top. 

Chop carrots, celery, and onions.  Mince garlic.  Add to the soup pot along with 8 cups of water and a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.  I use salt free tomatoes to cut back on sodium. 

Add the seasoning, liquid smoke, and Bragg's aminos to the pot.  

Pressure cooker:  cook 24 minutes under pressure with a natural release.  

Crock pot:  cook 8 hours on "low" or 4-5 hours on "high".  

Stove top:  bring to a boil and then lower to simmer for 90-120 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste just before serving.

 Herbal Crisps

Serves 6

1 loaf of day old bread

1/4 cup of olive oil, margarine, or butter

a variety of herbs to sprinkle on top. 

Cut the bread into slices of even thickness.  Place on a baking tray.  If using margarine or butter, place in a microwavable bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds or until melted.  Then, using a pastry brush, apply the oil or butter to both sides of the bread.  Sprinkle with herbs.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, flipping the pieces of bread half way through the cooking time.  Remove when the crisps are browned nicely.  

Use as big croutons to dip in hot soup.  Or as a snack with homemade marinara sauce or french onion dip.  They are also wonderful rubbed with a fresh clove of garlic and topped with fresh, diced tomato and basil. 

If you'd like a downloadable PDF of the Smoky White bean soup  click here.    

If you'd like a downloadable PDF of the Herbal Crisps recipe, click here.  

Enjoy! 

 Remember, 

Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope