Veggie Soup with Salmon Bacon

As I type, it is absolutely POURING rain outside.  The clouds generally do not unleash their fury up here in the same way that they do in the midwest or northeast, but today is one of those days.  (It gave me a good excuse to "take today off" from running.)  Also, it literally turned from summer to fall overnight.  Earlier in the week, the evenings were still warm, the flowers were still blooming, and the leaves were still green.  This morning, the thermometer in my car read 42, the flowers are losing their luster, and the leaves are very very quickly turning colors.  Fall is here...for this week at least.  Next week it could be winter.  Ugggh.

Anyhow, it seems appropriate to be blogging about a hearty soup while the weather does its thing.  This soup was incredible.  We used many veggies that were on their last legs, spices from the cupboard, and a little remaining salmon bacon from the brussels-broccoli-bacon recipe from a little while back.  I did not purchase anything for this soup!  That's the way I like it.

Even better was the flavor--the herbes de provence and bay leaves perfectly complemented the smokiness of the bacon.  The potatoes provided some texture, while the beans and cabbage added some thickness.  The leeks, onions, and garlic enhanced the broth to a flavorful perfection.  And we added a few crushed red pepper flakes just to heat it up a tiny bit.  Overall, the result was incredible.

It was exactly what I imagined eating on a cool, rainy and stormy, beginning of fall day.

 

Veggie Soup with Salmon Bacon:

• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• a glug of olive oil
• 3 cans of lower sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained
• 1 tablespoon of herbes de provence
• 3 or 4 bay leaves (if they are small...less if bigger)
• 5 or 6 small yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 5 or 6 pieces of salmon bacon (or regular bacon if you are not in Alaska)
• half of a small cabbage, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• a few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large saucepan.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and leeks.  Saute until soft.
3. Add the beans, chicken broth, and spices.  Stir.
4. Add the potatoes and the bacon.
5. Let the soup cook on medium heat until potatoes begin to soften.  Add the cabbage and stir to incorporate.
6. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Adjust for taste.  
8. ENJOY!