Delicious Spanish Bacon Bean Soup Recipe

If it were for us, we would recommend you to travel all year round and visit the marvelous Andalusia, but since that isn’t always possible, we have some Spanish soup recipes that can take you there.

Spanish soup recipes never fail to get this task done, and if you want it to have an American twist too, then the Spanish bacon bean soup is the right fit for you.

Read this article and you will learn how to prepare beans soup, how to store it, and how to serve this gem among Spanish soups.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish soup recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Caldo gallego soup

• Spanish bread soup

• Spanish baked bean soup

Background of the Dish

Simple bean recipes have existed for centuries and every region of the world has its own version, but in Andalusia, they reached a new level of popularity during the 1920s amidst the economic crisis.

Since canned products were a cheap option that didn’t go bad, the bean soups started to emerge in different shapes and forms, such as the Spanish white bean soup and the Spanish vegan bean soup

With the Spanish bacon bean soup, you have the best ingredients of Andalusian cuisine, topped with some crispy bacon that adds new notes of flavors and textures to a rather classic dish.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Bacon Bean Soup

To make the Spanish bacon bean soup you will need canned cooked beans, onion, garlic cloves, bacon, and vegetable broth as the main ingredients.

You can prepare the Spanish bean soup with dry beans, just make sure to soak them overnight and cook them for at least 2 hours or until tender.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon
• 6 cups (1.5l) vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) of cannellini beans**
• 1 can (15 ounces) of kidney beans**
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

**You can use one type of bean if you prefer it too.

How to Make Spanish Bacon Bean Soup – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this soup with bacon recipe, you have to wash the vegetables, remove any dirt, and peel and dice them. Remove and discard the seeds of the tomatoes and bell pepper. Mince the garlic cloves.

2. Now rinse the canned cooked beans under cold water and drain the excess water. Keep in mind that you can use two different types of beans or the same one, it is up to you. Also, chop the bacon into small squares.

3. Then grab a large pot, and cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until it becomes crispy and releases its fat. Remove some of the bacon bits for garnish and leave the rest in the pot.

4. After that, add the chopped onion and garlic to the pot with the bacon and cook until they become soft and translucent.

5. For the next step in this Spanish bean soup recipe, add the diced carrots, celery, and red bell pepper to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.

6. Now stir in the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Cook the Spanish bean soup with the seasonings for one more minute to release their flavors.

7. To continue with this Spanish soup recipe add the canned cannellini beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes (with their juices), and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir everything together.

8. Then, pour in the vegetable broth and bring the Spanish bacon bean soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 

9. For the next step remove the bay leaf from the Spanish bacon soup. Taste the soup and add more seasoning if needed.

10. Now you just have to serve the Spanish bacon bean soup hot, garnished with the reserved crispy bacon bits and chopped fresh parsley. 

Substitution of Ingredients

Something that we love about Spanish soup recipes with beans is that as long as you have some type of bean, you can prepare this recipe.

For example, you can replace the vegetable broth with any other type, or the same amount of water with one bouillon.

If you don’t like bacon or you don’t have it on hand, you can do like our Spanish ham and bean soup and use serrano or regular ham, or just skip it.

When it comes to the vegetables of this Spanish bacon bean soup you can use your favorite ones, but we strongly encourage you to use onion, tomatoes, and garlic as they give that classic Andaluaisn flavor.

Try the delicious and easy-to-make Spanish black bean and corn soup that’s perfect for cold days.

If you are a fan of the tomato flavor, then you can add 1/2 cup (120ml) of tomato sauce to the soup or check our Spanish bean tomato soup.

Tips on Serving Spanish Bacon Bean Soup

With this Spanish bacon bean soup you will have the best main dish for lunch or dinner to enjoy during the cold fall and winter days.

In general, bean bacon soup recipes are served as the main dish because they are pretty filling, but you could serve it in a smaller bowl and use this soup as an appetizer or side dish.

To add more texture to this white bean bacon soup, you can top it with bread croutons, or your favorite slice of bread toasted with olive oil.

Take this soup with bacon to the next level by shredding some parmesan cheese on top right before serving it: it will melt into it and add a mesmerizing flavor.

Try the Spanish black bean soup or the Spanish 5 bean soup recipe, simple soups with nutritious beans and vegetables.

How to Store Spanish Bacon Bean Soup

This recipe should take the prize for the best bean and bacon soup because not only does it have an amazing flavor and is easy to prepare, but it is also super easy to store.

If you are planning on storing it, let the Spanish bacon bean soup cool to room temperature, and then place it in an airtight container and cover it with a lid.

Then, you can place the simple bean soup in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 45 days (make sure to label the container with the date).

After that, reheat the soup with beans in a pot or in the microwave, but you might need to add a little bit of water (up to 1/2 cup) if it gets too thick.

Other bean soup recipes that you can make and store for later are the Spanish pea soup and the Spanish lentil Soup.

Recipe Card: Spanish Bacon Bean Soup

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