Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon

Name: Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon
Total time: 400 min
Ingredients: 4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces; 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved; 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium onion); 1 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick carrot slices (from 3 medium carrots); 1 cup dried navy beans; 3/4 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick parsnip slices (from 2 medium parsnips); 3/4 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick celery slices (from 2 stalks); 6 cups chicken broth; 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 3 garlic cloves); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 cups chopped curly kale (from 1 bunch); 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon); Fresh thyme leaves

5.0

(1)

Packed with veggies and flavored with a little bacon, this recipe will warm you up on a chilly day. This hearty soup is as versatile as it is delicious. Substitute collards for the kale, use another type of small dried beans, or add heat with red pepper flakes. And because it's made in a slow cooker, you don't have to stand over the stove stirring it for hours. Just prepare the bacon in the microwave, crumble it, then add it along with the vegetables and other ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the potatoes and beans are fork-tender, 5 1⁄2 to 6 hours.

Julia Levy

Published on January 15, 2019

Active Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

6 hrs 40 mins

Yield:

8 serves

Ingredients

4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium onion)
1 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick carrot slices (from 3 medium carrots)
1 cup dried navy beans
3/4 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick parsnip slices (from 2 medium parsnips)
3/4 cup 1⁄4-inch-thick celery slices (from 2 stalks)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 3 garlic cloves)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chopped curly kale (from 1 bunch)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Cook bacon in microwave until crisp, according to package directions. Crumble bacon.
Place potatoes, onion, carrots, beans, parsnips, celery, broth, garlic, pepper, salt, and bacon in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until potatoes and beans are tender, 5 1⁄2 to 6 hours.
Uncover and stir in kale. Cook, uncovered, until kale is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Ladle soup into serving bowls, and garnish with black pepper and thyme leaves.

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall