In my youth, my parents stocked their pantry with cans of Campbell’s® Soup for easy meals to feed their three sons. Campbell’s still dominates the grocery aisles of soups in most stores. I can’t think of an easier way to keep a family fed than with canned soup: convenient and satisfying. Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup topped my list of favorite comfort foods on a cold night when I was a kid. I’m curious about your favorites:
I now prefer homemade soups without MSG or high sodium to canned soup, but I still crave those comfort foods from my childhood. To alleviate my craving for Bean with Bacon Soup, I make Pancetta and Cannellini Soup these days. I prefer to use homemade stock when I make soup. For this recipe, I happened to have a rabbit stock in my freezer (flavor profile similar to chicken). Most people will probably use chicken stock for this recipe.
Pancetta and Cannellini Soup
Ingredients:
- 3-4 oz diced pancetta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tbsp celery leaves, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- 1 small Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 1 15-oz can of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Bay leaf
- 4 cups, rabbit or chicken stock
- 6 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- In a large soup pot (enameled cast iron is ideal), bring pancetta to a medium heat and fry until until crisp. Remove pancetta from pot and drain on paper towels on a plate. Leave pancetta fat in the pot.
- Add olive oil and then onion through celery. Sauté vegetables until they begin to soften. Mix in celery leaves, thyme, oregano and pepper and stir for one minute.
- Stir in ingredients from potato through stock. Bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (Halfway through, return pancetta to the pot).
- Test potatoes to make sure they are cooked. Stir in parsley and salt to your personal taste. Serve immediately.
A light to medium bodied red wine (such as a Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, Syrah or Sangiovese) and a baguette of warm French bread with a saucer of salted and peppered extra virgin olive oil for dipping pairs well with this soup.
Place at the Table 