Preparation
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the lardons to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes until golden and the fat begins to run, then add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot
- Sauté the vegetables over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and stock, stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes
- Stir in the rinsed beans and bring the soup steadily back up to the boil to heat through the beans. Season to taste, then remove from the heat and divide between bowls, garnishing with the basil to serve
Quick, easy and full of flavour, this bacon and bean soup makes a fantastic midweek meal - scale up the recipe to have leftovers for lunch the next day, too. Serve with crunchy bread and slabs of butter and cheese on the side, plus a glass of our Romanian Pinot Noir.
