Green bean, potato, and bacon soup

Green beans and baked potatoes are classic side dishes—favorites at home and in restaurants alike. Well, what if you could enjoy these flavors together in a soup? You can—especially if you like your baked potatoes with a little sour cream and crumbled bacon on top—in this Green Bean, Potato, and Bacon Soup.

Seasoned with onion and salt and pepper, this creamy, easy soup comes together in no time. Essentially, you cook the vegetables and bacon separately, then combine them with the dairy broth, heat through, and serve. And then take in the applause from your tablemates.

Any green bean you like will work well in this Green Bean, Potato, and Bacon Soup, so use what’s fresh from your garden. The recipe calls for steaming the green beans until slightly tender. If you have a steamer basket, set it inside a pot just above the water level. Bring the water to a boil, then place the beans in the steamer and cover until just before they reach your preferred tenderness level; remove at once. Note: Avert your face when you uncover the pot as the steam can burn you. Because you are undercooking the beans at this point, you don’t need to stop the cooking in an ice bath.

As for the dairy, you have some choices. The recipe calls for a combination of 2% milk and heavy cream. Yum. But if you’d like to lighten up the fat content, feel free to use all milk, or substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. The broth won’t thicken as much, but you can also thicken the soup by adding the dairy and potatoes, pureeing the soup with an immersion blender, then adding in the green beans and bacon. Experiment to see what works for you.

This Green Bean, Potato, and Bacon Soup is perfect for lunch by itself, or for dinner with a side salad. This hearty meal-in-a-bowl looks complicated but is ready in 30 minutes. Fresh green beans—preferably from your garden—make a tasty complement to the flavor and textures of the mashed potato, crispy bacon, and creamy broth.

Green Bean, Potato, and Bacon Soup

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Green Bean, Potato, and Bacon Soup is like a medley of your favorite sides, in soup form. So good!

• Author: Norann Oleson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 8
• Category: Soups

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh green beans, ends snipped and cut into small pieces
• 1 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 cups 2% milk
• Salt and pepper
• Snipped chives (optional) for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon pieces until slightly crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain excess fat, but don’t wipe the bottom clean.
2. Add onion to the pot and sauté in bacon drippings until soft.
3. While the bacon and onions are cooking, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain water and slightly mash. Set aside.
4. Steam green beans until slightly tender. Set aside.
5. When the beans and potatoes are done, add the bacon back in the pot, add green beans and mashed potatoes, and cover with the milk and cream. Stir to combine.
6. Warm for a bit until heated through, taking care not to boil.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve hot, garnishing each bowl with snipped chives, if desired.

Green beans are grown, and eaten, the world over. With the Latin name Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), green beans are also referred to as string beans, pole beans, and snap beans. With our Grow Great Green Beans Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this unique food in your home garden, including advice on planting, raising, harvesting, and preparing dish after delicious dish featuring your home-grown green beans.

Have you tried this recipe? It’s so hearty and warming on a cool day. How did it come out for you? Please let us know what you think.