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Creamy Potato Bean Soup

Potato Bean Soup

A creamy and hearty soup packed with potatoes, beans, and smoky bacon. A comforting, flavourful meal that's surprisingly quick and easy to make, perfect for a cosy weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
Calories: 470
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 g smoked bacon lardons or pancetta diced
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 kg Maris Piper potatoes peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
  • 1 litre good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 100 ml double cream
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley chopped (for garnish)
  • Genuine Flavour: We build layers of flavour right from the start sweating down the onions, carrots, and celery until sweet, then rendering the bacon to release its smoky fat. This foundation makes the final soup taste like it’s been simmering for hours.
  • Ready in Under an Hour: From chopping the first onion to ladling the finished soup into bowls the whole process comes together in about 50 minutes, making it entirely achievable on a weeknight.
  • Flexible Recipe: This recipe is wonderfully adaptable. You can use butter beans or chickpeas instead of cannellini add a few handfuls of spinach or kale in the last five minutes of cooking, or leave out the bacon for a vegetarian version.
  • Great for a Cosy Night In: It’s the ideal meal when you want to curl up on the sofa. Pair it with some good bread and a glass of wine and you have a perfect, low-effort evening planned.
  • Family Tested: My whole family enjoys this one even the fussy eaters. The creamy texture and mild, savoury taste always go down well. It's a great way to get plenty of veg and fibre into everyone.

Method
 

  1. Sauté the Bacon and Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and the fat has rendered. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set it aside on a plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
  2. Soften the Vegetables: Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté in the bacon fat for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
  3. Add Potatoes and Liquids: Tip the potato chunks into the pot along with the chicken stock, dried thyme, and the sprig of fresh rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
  4. Simmer the Soup: Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a fork.
  5. Add the Beans: Remove and discard the rosemary sprig. Stir in the drained and rinsed cannellini beans and let them warm through for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Blend for Creaminess: This is the key step for texture. I find that using an immersion blender is best. Carefully blend about half of the soup directly in the pot, leaving the rest chunky. If you don't have an immersion blender, ladle about half the soup into a regular blender, blitz until smooth, and then return it to the pot. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
  7. Finish and Season: Stir the double cream and the reserved crispy bacon back into the soup (keeping a little bacon aside for garnish if you like). Warm through gently for a minute, but do not let it boil. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste.
  8. Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and the remaining crispy bacon.

Notes

For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and sauté vegetables in olive oil. Serve with crusty bread. The soup stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.