Non-dairy, Creamy Vegetable Soup With Bacon

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 lb center-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
• 4 cups vegetable broth, see note below
• 2 cups potatoes, diced
• 1 cup carrot, sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely snipped

Recipe

• 1 fry bacon until crispy around the edges. drain on paper towels and set aside. reserve 1 tsp of the bacon fat, and use to saute the onion, shredded cabbage, bell peppers, and black pepper. cook until vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized.
• 2 in a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. add the sauteed onion, cabbage and bell pepper mixture, along with the potatoes and carrots. reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. remove from heat.
• 3 using a slotted spoon, remove about 1 cup of cooked vegetables and set aside.
• 4 use a stick blender (or a food processor) to blend the remaining mixture until smooth.
• 5 stir the reserved cooked vegetables, basil and cooked bacon into the puree. (you may wish to save a bit of bacon for garnish) simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• 6 garnish with reserved cooked bacon, if desired.
• 7 note: depending on the variety of potato you use, you may need to add additional broth to thin the soup.