Bean With Bacon Soup Like Mom's

Campbell's Bean With Bacon Soup is my favorite canned soup of all time.

This is not an exact duplicate of Campbell's version but it reminds me of the bean soup my Mom used to make.

Bean and Bacon Soup Like Mom's

1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
water to cover
7 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup margarine
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound bacon

Clean and sort the dried navy beans. Place the beans in a large bowl with water to cover and soak for 3 hours.

In a large stock pot over medium heat, combine the navy beans and the chicken stock and allow to simmer.

Meanwhile, melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped carrots and the chopped onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until onion is caramelized.

Add the carrot and onion mixture to the pot.

In the same skillet over medium high heat, saute the bacon for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is crisp. Drain the grease and add the bacon to the pot. Continue to simmer the soup over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the beans are tender and the soup has thickened.

Making this soup is not as easy as opening a can of Campbell's but most of the time spent making it is inactive time.

I haven't tried freezing it but my suspicion is that it will freeze well at least for a little while.

The one thing I do know for sure is that it's a rich and delicious soup and is absolutely great on a cool autumn evening.