Marie's Baked Bean Soup

This is the kind of slow-cooker recipe that ran in local church cookbooks decades ago and still earns its keep today. Three kinds of beans (lima beans, canned baked beans, and kidney beans) simmer low and slow with stewed tomatoes, crispy bacon and its drippings, onion, brown sugar, pineapple chunks, and two kinds of vinegar for a sweet-tart balance.

The vinegar cuts the richness of bacon and brown sugar so the whole pot doesn’t taste like sweet bean glue.

The pineapple sounds odd but isn’t. It’s the same flavor logic as a Hawaiian pizza, sweet acidity against salty-smoky pork. A splash of liquid smoke (which the directions mention even though it’s not in the ingredient list, worth adding) amplifies the bacon smokiness into something deeper.

Use the full pound of bacon and its drippings. The fat carries the flavor, and draining it leaves you with a thinner, less complex pot.

Six hours on low is the right window. Less and the flavors haven’t melded, more and the beans start to break down into mush.

Serve with crusty sourdough or cornbread to sop up every last drop.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the bacon until just short of crispy, it continues to soften in the slow cooker over 6 hours
• Drain the baked beans partially if you want a thicker soup, the sauce from the can thins the pot
• Stir once halfway through if your schedule allows, distributes flavors evenly
• Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, portion into single servings for easy lunches

Variations

• Swap bacon for smoked sausage or ham hocks for a different smoky profile
• Add a can of chipotles in adobo for smokier heat
• Skip bacon entirely and use 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke plus a tablespoon of olive oil for a vegetarian version