Tuscan Style Soup

This soup was extremely flavorful! Jon said it was "amazing" and the girls both raved about it. The boys at least ate it without too much complaining (that's saying a lot). Updated 1/16/11.

3 c cooked white beans

2 garlic cloves

2 c chicken broth

2 oz diced bacon (2-4 slices*)

1 chicken breast (or 3 tenders)

1 c thinly sliced carrots

½ medium onion, chopped

½ c water

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Toast or hot bread

In blender puree the beans, garlic and chicken broth. In large soup pot, cook bacon until browned. Remove and dice when cool (then return to pot). Meanwhile, add chicken, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring often until chicken is golden on the outside. Remove chicken and cut into ½” cubes. Return chicken to soup pot. Add water and Italian seasoning, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender. Stir in pureed bean mixture. Return soup to a boil and simmer 15 min. Add salt and pepper. Serve with toast or hot bread for dipping.

*The original recipe called for 2 cloves of roasted garlic. I just used 2 raw cloves. Raw garlic is 2-4 times stronger in flavor than baked. Click here or here for instructions on roasting garlic.

**If you are trimming off the bacon fat, use 4 slices. You may need to add a splash of olive oil when you add the chicken so it doesn't get too dry. If you leave the bacon pieces whole, 2 pieces may be fine and you probably won't need the olive oil.