Should I use smoked or unsmoked lardons? Can I use regular bacon instead?

I've tested this recipe with both smoked and unsmoked lardons, and both are delicious - so it is up to your personal preference. You can use regular bacon in a pinch snipped with a pair of scissors, but you'll miss on the texture of nice chunks of bacon lardon in the soup.

Do I have to use jarred beans for this White Bean and Bacon Soup recipe?

As the 'bean stock' from the jar is what helps thicken the broth a little, here you really should. I tested this recipe with Bold Bean Co.'s Organic White Beans , but I'm also a fan of the Perello Alargada White Beans and the Navarrico Alubias ones.

White Bean and Bacon Soup

Description

This delicious, hearty White Bean and Bacon Soup is the perfect winter recipe, scooped into bowls for lunch or dinner topped with a scattering of flat leaf parsley.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tbsp olive oil
200g lardons
2 large shallots
1 medium carrot
1 celery stick
1 tbsp tomato puree
900ml chicken stock
sprig fresh sage
1 x 750g jar white beans + the liquid from the jar
sea salt, to taste
chopped flat leaf parsley, optional to serve

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Once it is shimmering, add the lardons and cook, stirring often until they’re cooked through and starting to crisp. Depending on the quality of your lardons, this can take anything from 4-10 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Meanwhile, trim / peel the shallots, carrot and celery before chopping into a fine dice.
If your lardons have given out a lot of oil, drain some off – you want about 1 1/2 tbsp remaining in the bottom of the pot. In general, better quality lardons will give off more fat.
Stir in the chopped shallots, carrot, and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes until soft.
Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until caramelised.
Return the lardons and pour in the stock, and use the spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the sage and the white beans and their liquid. Stir well before allowing the soup to simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes.
Check to see if you want to add any salt (depending on your ingredients you might not need any) before serving in warm bowls topped with the chopped parsley.

Notes

This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. I’ve not personally tried it, but it should also freeze well; however, you shouldn’t do this if the lardons have previously been frozen.