A rustic winter soup accented with smoky bacon and topped with croutons made with Dempster’s WholeGrainsÔ bread. Serve this bistro-style soup on a snowy day and you’ll be a big hit.

Soup:
  1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  4 oz (125 g) bacon, chopped
  1 large onion, chopped
  2 carrots, diced
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
  1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and freshly ground pepper
  1 bay leaf
  2 cans (each 19 oz/540 mL) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  4 cups ( 1 L) chicken broth
  4 cups (1 L) baby spinach

Parmesan Pepper Croutons:
  2 slices Dempster’s WholeGrains 100% Whole Wheat bread
  1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  2 tbsp (30 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese
  1 tsp (5 mL) freshly ground pepper

For Soup:
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan set over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned and slightly crisp. Stir in the onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until tender and golden. Add the beans and chicken broth and bring the soup to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to crush some of the beans to thicken the soup. Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan-pepper croutons.

For Parmesan-Pepper Croutons:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cut the whole wheat bread into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces and, in a large bowl, toss with the olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spread out on a foil lined or non-stick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and toasted.
Serves 4.

Per serving (1 ½ cups with croutons): 308 calories, 9 g fat, 21 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 10 g fibre, 1391 mg sodium. A very high source of fibre. An excellent source of vitamin A, folate, thiamine, iron, magnesium and zinc.<