If you are looking for a quick and easy meal idea you may want to consider this soup. My husband loves it. It is high in fiber, with a whopping 8.9 g per 1 cup serving. It is also low in fat with only 4.25 grams per 1 cup serving. And, it is delicious! It is a sneaky way to get more fiber in to your husband's diet. This serves 4 - 6 people.
Bacon Bean Soup
2 14 oz cans navy beans
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper
2 slices smoked bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon flour
Cut the bacon in half and dice it in to small pieces. In the bottom of a large pot, add the olive oil. Turn heat on medium high and cook the bacon until just nearly done. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain off all fat except for about 1 Tablespoon. Add in flour and whisk around until blended. Then add one can of the chicken broth, slowly, whisking gently, giving the flour time to absorb it and thicken slightly. Then add rest of broth and beans. Add back in the bacon pieces. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
That's it! Each one cup serving has 235 calories.
Alas, there is some bad news, well, maybe not bad for everybody but you might need to know. Since this is made with canned products there is a lot of salt. I hate to even show the amount but in the interest of health I will. There is a huge 1171 mg of salt per serving. Any time you use canned anything...except fruit, which has it's own problems with sugar...you will get a lot of salt.
You can cut back on the salt though by using low sodium versions of beans and broth. But for those of us who don't have high blood pressure, or fluid retention problems, having this soup every now and then isn't going to hurt you.
The Lowly Navy Bean is Packed With Good Stuff: Nutritional Value Chart
