| Level: | Easy |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 10 strips bacon, diced
- 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
- 2 or more cloves garlic, mashed and chopped
- 2 carrots, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
- 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced (or crushed) tomatoes (do not drain)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or Great Northern beans (do not drain)
- 2 roasted red peppers, sliced
- 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 small zucchini, sliced and chopped in large pieces
- 1 small yellow squash, sliced and chopped in large pieces
- 2 large leaves fresh basil, chopped
- 12 leaves fresh oregano, chopped
- 12 (1/2-inch) slices French baguette
- Vegetable cooking spray
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
- Hungarian paprika to taste (optional)
- 1/2 cup smoked Gouda cheese, diced
Instructions
- Render bacon slowly in nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserve for garnish, and heat fat on medium-low. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Do not allow garlic to burn. Transfer onions and garlic to a soup pot. Add carrots, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, red peppers, chicken broth, zucchini, and yellow squash. Bring to a boil. Add basil and oregano. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baguette slices with cooking spray and lightly toast in oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and paprika on toast and toast until light brown and bubbly.
- Five minutes before serving, add Gouda cheese to soup and allow a few minutes for cheese to soften. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle reserved bacon over top. Place 2 slices of toast per serving on top of soup.
- Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Remove 1/3 cup of the mixture and set aside. Add the chilled shortening and, using a pastry cutter, incorporate until shortening and flour become pea-sized (be patient), set aside. Use reserved 1/3 cup of flour/salt mixture and 1/4 cup of water, mix to make a paste. Using hands, add paste to flour/shortening mixture and work it just enough for paste to cover everything – don’t work it too much. Roll out dough, and then roll onto pin to transfer to pie tin. Fill with preferred pumpkin pie or other pie filling.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 355 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 34 mg |
| Sodium | 1075 mg |
Reviews
This soup is a perfect all weather pick me up and comfort food. Try it with Family and friends. You’ll love it!
SO delicious!!
Quite easy and better than canned soups.
I can NOT believe I’m the first to rate this totally outstanding soup! Everytime I’ve made this soup, my wife eats herself sick ;). Major husband points from this one. I serve with slightly toasted bagette with bacaon bits and some reserved gouda. What a hit! Never lasts more than two days between the two of us!