This is one of my husband's favorite dinners. He says it tastes like he's eating bacon. Even my super-super-super picky two-year-old eats this up while he'd normally steer clear of spinach and beans presented in any other form. Bacon is magical. A spoonful of bacon makes the medicine go down, apparently!
Ingredients:
1 lb dry navy beans
2 cans chicken broth Bay leaves
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
2 carrots (or 1 small sweet potato)
1 package bacon, chopped into 1/2" pieces (or ham/ham bone)
Spices: pepper, sage, thyme, paprika, creole seasoning, nutmeg, garlic powder (if fresh garlic missing), honey/brown sugar
1 block frozen leaf or chopped spinach OR fresh spinach leaves
Soak 1 bag navy beans overnight. Drain and put in crock pot on low if cooking 8+ hours or high if cooking 5-6. Or simmer on stovetop for 3 hrs.
Add 2 cans chicken broth and water until liquid is maybe 1" above the beans. Add two bay leaves.
A couple hours before you plan to eat, add the other stuff. Dice one onion, a couple carrots, and cut up a pack of bacon into 1/2" pieces.
Cook bacon a little and drain grease. Add onions and cook till starting to brown/turn clear. Add carrots. Season sautée with fresh ground pepper, creole seasoning, sage, thyme, paprika, and a couple dashes nutmeg. Add to crock pot.
Drizzle a little bit of honey (1 tsp or 1 tsp brown sugar)--a good trick for savory soups to tone down any bitterness. It's like adding salt to cookies. A little sweet in the salty.
Add frozen block of leaf or chopped spinach.
Before serving salt to taste. Serve with crusty bread or biscuits with BUTTER, the very best part.
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