White Bean Soup with Peppers and Bacon

By tlshinnick

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried navy beans
• 5 slices bacon
• 2 cups red bell pepper -- chopped
• 2 cups onion -- chopped
• 1 cup carrot -- chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 cloves garlic -- minced
• 3 cans chicken broth -- fat-free, low sodium
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley -- chopped

Preparation

Step 1

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2
inches above beans; bring to boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat;
cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.

Cook the bacon in pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from
pan; crumble and set aside. Add bell pepper and next 8 ingredients
(through garlic) to drippings in pan; saute 10 min. or until browned.
Stir in the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add beans. Bring
to boil; cover and reduce heat, simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Place 3 cups of the bean mixture in a blender and process until smooth.
Return the pureed mixture to pan. Stir in the bacon and parsley