I saw this recipe several months ago and bookmarked it in my “Recipes to Try” folder.   Although I was a bit skeptical about the recipe, something about it grabbed my attention.   Perhaps it was the lima beans.  I know a lot of people don’t like them, but I loved them growing up.   They were one of my favorite vegetables.   I loved a big bowl of lima beans with butter and salt.  Yum!

Yesterday was a quite cold here in NY – a perfect day for making soup, so I whipped out my “Recipes to Try” folder and decided to try this, and I’m glad I did.   When I served it last night, my husband raved about it.   He liked it so much he had a second bowl.  He doesn’t usually rave about soup.

Lima Bean Soup with Parmesan Bacon Crisp
Adapted from recipe by Paul McCullough from the show The Next Food Network Star

2/3 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
3 cups lima beans, thawed
1 apple peeled, cored, pitted and sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fully cooked, crumbled bacon (~ 5 strips)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan Bacon Crisps:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup fully cooked crumbled bacon
Sour cream, for plating, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, cook onion in butter and oil over medium heat until translucent about 10 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes.

While vegetables are cooking, place lima beans in boiling water and cook until very soft about 10 minutes. Drain lima beans and add to the pot with the sliced apple. Pour in the chicken broth. Lower heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes.   Add 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the crumbled bacon.   Cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes, then puree with a hand blender.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Parmesan Bacon Crisp: Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Make 4 to 5 lines with the Parmesan, about 1-inch wide and 4-inches long. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel crisp from foil and serve with soup.

Optional:   you can serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream.

Yield:  6 servings