[NOTE: This recipe is NOT gluten free!]
I’ve made this soup a few times and it’s ridiculously delicious and nutritious. High protein, low fat, dairy free and only five ingredients… anyone can make this. Oh, this recipe makes 5-6 plentiful servings and costs less than $10. Oh! This is another one of my “one pan” meals meaning little mess and little clean up.
First, I used Trader Joe’s ingredients but I am certain you could find these ingredients most places.
You will need:
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 diced fresh jalapeños (optional, if you want a little heat)
- 1 package of Trader Joe’s peppered turkey bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 32oz chicken stock, I use free range organic
- 1 package of Trader Joe’s 17 bean and barley mix
This recipe does need to be thought of a day in advance. Why? Because the beans need to soak in a salt bath overnight for up to 24 hours.
Rinse the beans in a colander and add to a mixing bowl with enough luke warm water to cover the beans. Add about 3-4T of salt and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and set out at room temperature overnight.
In a 3.5 quart cassoulet or stock pot sauté onion, jalapeño and chopped turkey bacon with 2-3T of olive oil. I also recommend a pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper. Cover and heat over a low flame for 30-40 minutes.
Rinse and strain the beans. Once the onion, pepper and turkey bacon have sublimated add the beans and stir together letting the ingredients get nice and friendly with each other. Add the chicken stock and turn the heat up to medium-low (don’t boil!) and cover. Heat for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally.
Alternatively, this could be made in a slow cooker by adding the sautéed ingredients to the slow cooker along with the chicken stock and beans.
The best part of this recipe is that it makes for great leftovers. You may need to add a bit of water as the beans can dehydrate in the refrigerator.
Let me know what you think!
7 Comments
Thanks for posting this. I just wanted a simple recipe using turkey bacon in soup and you spelled it out for me woo hoo!
Nice! Thank you so much for the note!
Am I missing something here? This soup looks tasty but the ingredient you list for the beans is called “Bean and Barley,” Barley being one of the Big Three Grains containing gluten (the other two being wheat and rye), this most certainly would not be gluten free if the TJ’s package contains barley. I know this blog post is over a year old, but it came up on the first page of my “gluten free bean bacon recipe” search, which is worrisome if someone with Celiac Disease (or any other gluten sensitivity) relied on the “gluten free” tag without researching further.
Hi Jody,
Yes, in my naiveté I realized shortly after that barley was gluten-ful. I revised the post, but I will clarify at the top of this page. Thanks for reading… I do have some other certifiable gluten free posts. You’ll have to read my latest post about a gluten-free diet here.
Best,
David
Hi David — thank you for responding to my comment so graciously. I’ve also got psoriasis (the real severe type that has landed me in the hospital in the past) plus severe psoriatic arthritis, plus a few other autoimmunes thrown in for good measure (those pesky AI’s seem to run in packs). Unfortunately GF doesn’t have enough of an effect to allow me to eliminate costly and potentially dangerous medications, but it does completely control the MRSA I had contracted during one of my hospital stays..Once I made the commitment to eliminate gluten I was appalled to learn how it hides in packaged foods. Carefully reading labels is only half the answer, since gluten can hide in the doublespeak language these manufacturers use to make us feel better about their foods (not to mention all the other food sensitivities we can develop as an outgrowth of gluten intolerance). Our best defense is getting ourselves educated on gluten in all its manifestations, as well as other foods that have positive or negative effects on inflammation and our health in general. So I thank you and other bloggers who take the time to post your experiences, your knowledge and your recipes that I and countless others benefit from. Your blog is now on my list of frequently visited sites.
BTW, I do intend to make this recipe, and I will use Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix — one of my favorite brands for gluten free products. Thanks again!
Thank you so much Jody! I love knowing someone out there reads my dribble… I hope you have a great year ahead. Stay in touch! 🙂