Lima Bean Soup

🛒 Ingredients

• Dried Lima Beans 675 g · 765 kcal
• Vegetable Broth 1500 g · 30 kcal
• Yellow Onion 150 g · 60 kcal
• Carrot 60 g · 25 kcal
• Celery Stalks 80 g · 11 kcal
• Garlic Cloves 10 g · 15 kcal
• Olive Oil 28 g · 248 kcal
• Smoked Bacon 50 g · 150 kcal
• Fresh Parsley 10 g · 4 kcal

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Soak lima beans overnight or use a quick-soak method. Drain and rinse thoroughly before cooking.
2. Chop bacon into small pieces. Dice onion, carrots, and celery; mince garlic.
3. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving rendered fat in the pot.
4. Add olive oil to the pot if needed. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery in the rendered fat (and oil) until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
5. Add the soaked and drained lima beans, vegetable broth, bay leaf, and dried thyme to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 60-90 minutes, or until beans are tender.
6. Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, leaving some beans whole for texture, or mash some beans with a potato masher.
7. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir in the reserved crispy bacon.
8. Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot.