Your friends and family will love this rustic and delicious white bean and bacon soup. It's an excellent soup to have simmering on the stovetop or on the wood stove in the fall and winter months, and it's guaranteed to fill your home with tantalizing aromas. Great northern beans, onion, celery, and bacon combine to make a hearty, warming soup that's perfect for cold weather. The bacon lends extra depth of flavor to the simple stock, infusing salt and smoky notes that distinguish this soup. In this recipe, some of the beans are pured to make a thicker soup, but feel free to leave it brothy and brimming with whole beans. Serve the soup with crusty bread, garlic bread, or cornbread for dipping in the soup. For a comforting and simple fall or winter dinner, accompany the soup with a mixed greens salad. Note that you must begin soaking the beans the night before you prepare the soup.
