• 1½ cups dried navy beans
• 5 bacon slices
• 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ⅛ tsp ground red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (16 ounce) beef broth
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Sort and wash the beans; place in a large pot. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans. Cook the bacon in pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add bell pepper and the next 8 ingredients (bell pepper through minced garlic) to drippings in pan; sauté 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add beans. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender. Place 3 cups of bean mixture in a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pureed mixture to pan. Stir in the bacon and parsley.

Note: To make it vegetarian, just avoid using bacon and sauté ingredients.