You Will Need:
- 8 slices of bacon chopped and cooked
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 2 shallots chopped
- 4 tsp. minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth (32 oz. carton)
- 4 cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans) (drain 2, leave 2 undrained)
- 1/2 cup half/half or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)
- sprinkle salt and pepper
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- sprinkle dried parsley
Chop vegetables and set aside, chop bacon and cook in a dutch oven large pot until browned, remove bacon with slotted spoon, cook shallots and minced garlic a few minutes, in a couple of Tbsp.of bacon grease. Add 1/2 of bacon (reserving some to top soup when serving), add veggies, beans, broth, rosemary, bay leaf salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and cook until vegetables are tender about an hour or two, (the longer it cooks the better the flavor). Remove bay leaf, and rosemary sprig from pot. Add half/ half, parsesan cheese and dried parsley sprinkled stir and cook until cheese is melted. Place in bowls and top with reserved bacon and top with more parmesan cheese.
Serve with jiffy sweet cornbread
NOTE: This can also be cooked in the crock pot slow cooker, cook bacon as instructed above, then follow recipe by placing ingredients in crock pot, cook 4-6 hours on low. Add half/ half and parmesan cheese and sprinkling of parsley during last 15 minutes of cooking. Top with bacon and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!