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Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Hearty, rich, tangy, herbal: this soup has it all. This Romanian Bacon Soup is just the thing for cold days and nights. Navy beans, bacon, dill, and a special ingredient make this soup a stunning dinnertime fixture that comes together in only about half an hour.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

The first thing you want to do is to chop and cook 12 ounces of bacon. You want small pieces that can cook quickly. If you don’t have bacon then ham or guanciale would also work.

Fry up the bacon then use just a spoonful of the grease to cook the veggies in a separate pan. Cooking them separately ensures that you can keep a close eye on everything.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

Once the bacon and veggies are partially cooked combine them with the beans and stock to form the base of the soup. We’re using canned white navy beans, but any white beans will work here. You can also soak the beans overnight and then cook them in the broth for 35-45 minutes until tender if you prefer.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

The secret ingredient and one that is common to Central and Eastern Europe is a little bit of vinegar. You can use white wine or apple cider varieties. It might sound weird but it makes the bacon much more delicious as it offsets that fattiness in this pork soup. It’s not unlike the vinegar dressing used in Austrian potato salad with bacon or a hot bacon salad dressing. It’s a pairing that works so well!

White beans are a staple of Romanian cooking along with the next ingredient: sour cream. To help prevent the sour cream from breaking in the hot soup remove the stockpot from the heat and pour 2 ladles of soup into a heat-safe bowl. Stir the sour cream into the hot soup to temper it before adding the bowl to the rest of the soup.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

You can pulse with a stick blender to make this soup creamier looking, but this is optional. I find it helps to incorporate the sour cream better, but since I prefer a chunkier soup I only do a few passes with the immersion blender.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

The final step (with the pan removed from heat) is to stir in yet another trademark of Eastern European cooking: some chopped fresh dill. This herb gives a fresh, green flavor to any dish you put it into and here it helps to offset the rich bacon, just like the vinegar.

Romanian Bacon Soup
Via: 12 Tomatoes Creative Team

You might not expect that these ingredients together could make such an amazing soup, but this dish really hits the spot. This Romanian Bacon Soup is so filling and delicious that it has no problem being the star of dinner. Just add a slice of good bread and you’re ready to dig in, Romanian style!

Yield(s): Serves 4-6

20m prep time

32m cook time

557 calories

Allergens: Milk

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Ingredients
  • 12 oz bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 3 (15 oz) cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 7 cups vegetable stock
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon white wine or apple cider vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped
Preparation
  1. In skillet over medium heat cook bacon until just beginning to crisp up, about 10 minutes. Scoop out a tablespoon of bacon grease and add it to a stockpot then add onion and celery. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until tender. Add bacon to stockpot and along with stock and beans.
  2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add in vinegar. Remove from heat. Optional: use a stick blender to combine the soup into creamier texture.
  3. Remove 2 ladles of soup into medium mixing bowl. Stir sour cream into this portion of soup to temper it. Then add the entire bowl into the soup pot and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped dill and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from The View from Great Island.