This is my adaptation from a Cooking Light recipe. It turned out very creamy (from the immersion blender) and comforting, just spicy enough to be interesting but not so hot it would blow your head off. Great for a wintery lunch or dinner. I plan to serve it with cornbread.
Bean and Bacon Soup
3 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes in own juice, not drained
If bacon has been cooked ahead, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot. (Otherwise you may use a small amount of bacon grease.) Add onion and mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add chili powder, mustard and garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Stir in bacon, water, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and whirl with an immersion blender. Or you may mash beans with a potato masher if you don’t have an immersion blender.
Serves 4.