Bean, Barley, and Bacon Soup

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Bean, Barley, and Bacon Soup is a delicious vegetable-rich soup that comes together with the help of a few pantry items.  The combination of beans and barley makes a filling and fiber-rich soup.

A few surprise ingredients add depth of flavor and umami making this soup taste as if it has simmered for hours.  In every spoonful,  you can taste richness from the smokey bacon and the creamy beans.

Classic Soup

Growing up, the classic soup, bean with bacon, was a favorite in my home.  Easy to heat up, a can of this flavor-rich soup was a constant in our pantry.

This Bean, Barley, and Bacon Soup recipe uses the same concept of reaching into the pantry but instead of a can of soup, it is to find some flavor boosters for boxed chicken stock, canned beans, and a few common vegetables.

Ingredients

• carrots
• celery
• leeks
• thick cut bacon
• garlic cloves
• Fresno chile
• anchovy paste
• tomato paste
• chicken stock
• quick barley
• cannellini beans
• fresh rosemary
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• parmesan cheese rind (optional)

Mire Poix

The base of the flavor in the soup is mire poix which is a fancy French word for the combination of carrots, celery, and onions.  The traditional ratio of the vegetables is 50% onion, 25% carrots, and 25% celery.  These are considered aromatics and are used to flavor stocks, stews, and soups.

Because there is a very generous amount of garlic in this recipe, the ratio for the mire poix is ⅓ of each aromatic.  I use leeks for the gentle flavor they provide to the soup.

Pantry Items

Anchovy Paste

I know, some people will frown on the addition of anchovy paste.  However, this surprise ingredient provides a depth of flavor and umami to the soup.  Anchovy paste is less pungent than the filets and will dissolve into the soup.  It does not impart a fishy taste but you will notice a deeper flavor in the soup which is especially helpful if you are using boxed stock.

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste adds a bright flavor along with a hint of acid.  The acid is a nice counter to the fattiness of the bacon.

After having many half-used cans of tomato paste, scooped into small containers which get pushed into the back of the refrigerator and forgotten until moldy, I switched to squeezable tubes.  I highly recommend the switch.  With a squeeze, you have the perfect amount needed for whatever recipe you are preparing.

Cannellini Beans

These meaty beans, also known as white kidney beans are native to Southern Italy.  They have a creamy white color and a nutty taste.  Cannellini beans are rich in protein and dietary fiber.  You can soak the beans overnight to shorten their cooking time the next day.  But in the spirit of last-minute meals and sating hunger, canned beans are a time saver and extremely versatile.  It helps to have a couple of cans in the pantry.

Barley

Barley is a cereal grain like wheat, rye, maize, rice, oats, and sorghum.  These grasses produce starchy seeds which are then processed for eating.  There are two types of processed barley - hulled and pearled.

Hulled barley has had the inedible outer husk removed  It is considered a whole grain because it still contains the bran and the germ.  However, hulled barley requires a longer cooking time, close to an hour.

Pearled barley has the bran removed and has been polished.  Because of the further processing, pearled barley requires less cooking time, 15-20 minutes.

How to make Bean, Barley, and Bacon Soup

Bacon

• Cut the slices of bacon into ½-inch pieces.
• Place a stock pot or dutch oven on the stove with medium-high heat.
• Cook the bacon, letting the fat render. Continually stir the bacon pieces so they are not scorching on the bottom of the pot. You determine how crispy you want the bacon.  It will soften in the soup.

Vegetables

• While the bacon is cooking, cut the vegetables.
• Remove the green portion of the leeks and use only the top white part. Cut the leeks in half, lengthwise. There is often dirt and grit stuck in the layers of the leeks. Carefully rinse the leeks, separating the layers to flush out the dirt.
• Cut the leek halves into ¼-inch slices.
• Peel and slice the carrots into ¼-inch pieces.
• Cut the celery into ¼-inch slices.
• Mince the garlic.
• Cut the Fresno chile into small dice. Don't touch your eyes after handling the chile.

Prepare the soup

The soup is cooked by preparing layers of flavor.  As each ingredient is added to the pot and provides its essence, the flavor changes.  This pantry soup will begin to taste more complex.

• When the bacon is almost crisp, add the carrots and celery to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 4 minutes. Stir to incorporate with the bacon. There will be brown fond on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the leeks to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Saute for 2 minutes.
• All the vegetables will cook in the rendered bacon fat.

• Add the garlic and diced Fresno chile to the pan. Stir until the garlic is fragrant.
• After 2 minutes, add the anchovy paste and the tomato paste to the pan.  Stir to incorporate the 2 pastes with the ingredients in the pan. The fond will release from the bottom of the pan.

• After 1 - 1½ minutes, add the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan.
• Add the optional parmesan cheese rind to the pot, submerging it in the stock.
• Bring the stock to a soft boil.
• Add the pearled barley to the pan. Simmer for 10 - 12 minutes.
• While the barley is cooking, drain and rinse two cans of cannellini beans. Add the cannellini beans to the pot when the barley is tender.
• Add 1½ teaspoon of minced rosemary, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper to the pan. Stir the soup and cook for 5 minutes until the beans are warm.

Garnish

Sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese as a garnish on the soup.  You could also add a small dollop of sour cream or some garlicky croutons.

Tips

• Don't season the soup until the end of cooking.  Some of the ingredients can affect the saltiness of the soup such as the bacon and the anchovy paste.
• If you have leftover soup, the barley will continue to swell and soak up the liquid while it is in the refrigerator.  You may need to add more chicken stock when you reheat the soup.

Substitutions

• You can substitute smoked ham or sausage for the bacon.
• Use yellow onion instead of leeks if you prefer.
• The parmesan rind is optional.
• If you can't find a Fresno chile, feel free to use any other pepper you like such as jalapeno or serrano.  You can also use red chile flakes as a substitute.  Or don't use peppers or chiles if you do not like spicy food.

A hearty and filling soup

Bean, Barley, and Bacon Soup is a protein and fiber-rich soup that is hearty and filling.  The classic combination of mire poix lays the flavor base upon which this quick and easy soup recipe is built.

Having a few items in your pantry - canned beans, quick barley, and boxed chicken stock - can help pull together a delicious, warm meal that you can savor on a cold evening.

Other soup recipes to try - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/creamy-chicken-and-orzo-soup

https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/creamy-mushroom-lentil-soup