Instructions: Soak beans overnight in cold water. Cut carrot lengthwise into halves, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Cut turnip into 1-inch pieces. Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat. Drain and crumble. Combine carrot, celery, onion, turnip, Italian seasoning, pepper, beans and bacon in slow cooker; mix slightly. Pour broth over top. Cover and cook on low 7-1/2 to 9 hours or until beans are crisp-tender. Ladle 2 cups of soup mixture into food processor or blender. Process until smooth; return to slow cooker. Add milk; cover and heat on high 10 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 6

notes: Made this 1-15-98; I used 1 pound of beand and soaked them overnight. Cooked it for 12 hours so that the beans would be tender. In addition to the bacon, I also used a ham bone for extra flavor. This was a delicious soup-pureeing a couple of cups of it at the end made it a good consistency.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.