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Creamy Fennel and White Bean Soup
Fennel—both the fresh bulbs and the dried seeds—is under-appreciated for the savory-sweet, slightly anise flavor it adds. Paired and pureed with white beans to form the base of this hearty, speedy soup, fennel adds dimension to what otherwise could be one-note flat. For contrast, as well as a smoky-savory counterpoint, we top the soup with crisped bacon. Chopped fresh chives and a squeeze of lemon juice finish it with freshness. Warm, crusty country bread is the perfect accompaniment.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t fill the blender jar more than a third full of the hot soup mixture; hot liquids tend to splash out when the blender is turned on. To help prevent this, remove the cap from the blender lid and cover tightly with a kitchen towel. Start the blender on low and gradually increase the speed.
1 hour
20 minutes active
Ingredients
-
8
ounces bacon, finely chopped
-
2
medium yellow onions, finely chopped
Directions
-
01In a large Dutch oven over medium, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pot.
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December 6, 2022
She hates most but loves this
I love fennel and made this soup for my family. My daughter who normally turns her nose up at soups has declared this one her favorite. Here is the kicker. I don't eat pork so I don't use the pork bacon. I've used ghee for the fat and add a good quality turkey bacon. It is good and one I make a few times a year (spring and fall) when fresh fennel is in season.
October 24, 2022
Delicious!
Fantastic way to use fennel. I’d cut down just a bit on the pepper, but the soup is so creamy with no cream.
September 1, 2022
Good soup, could use more seasoning
First, don't be afraid to use an immersion blender. Think about it: it is far more hazardous to transfer hot soup to a blender and then to another pot -- multiple times! -- than to just keep it all in the original pot and blend it there. Just pay attention to what you're doing. I used cowpeas, aka black eyed peas (closest I had to white beans) which turned out surprisingly well. The recipe as written seems geared to timid palates. It won't hurt to increase the amounts of fennel and garlic, maybe add a little chile to amp up the flavor...but it's a good base recipe to work from.
Hi Linda,
It's safer to blend the hot soup in three batches so it doesn't splash out onto you. You may also find this article helpful: https://www.thekitchn.com/when-to-use-a-stand-blender-vs-an-immersion-blender-229281
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Made this last night and it was DELISH. Next time I might hold back more of the whole beans because they almost seemed like an afterthought. Definitely do not omit the chives (or some other garnish) as this soup is relentlessly beige. Also, I was reading the small type on the recipe and thought it said to puree it in 1/3 CUP increments which, of course, seemed insane so I ignored it. BTW, the links do not seem to work for the article on why you must use the stand blender vs. immersion blender and it doesn't come up when I search the site either. I really hate dragging my blender out so might try the immersion next time (carefully).
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Any reason not to use an immersion blender instead of three trips to the blender?