Sagebrush Soup

Here's a recipe for a really delicious soup, which also happens to be gluten-free. It may seem like a bit of trouble to make, but the flavor is well worth it. It makes a lot and freezes well.

Sagebrush Soup

1 large onion

1 pound baking potatoes

2 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

1 large green bell pepper

 8 slices bacon

1 can (15 ounces) white beans

3 cups tomato juice

1 can (14 ounces) beef broth

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried sage

Seasoning to taste

Peel and chop the onion. Peel and cube the potatoes. Rinse, trim, and slice the celery. Peel, trim, and slice the carrots. Rinse, trim, seed, and chop the bell pepper. Chop the bacon. Rinse and drain the beans.

Sauté the bacon in a Dutch oven until almost crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Sauté the onion in the remaining drippings until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, the celery, the carrots, and the bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the beans, the tomato juice, the broth, the sherry, the sugar, the Worcestershire sauce, the bay leaf, and the sage. Return the bacon to the pan, season to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf before serving.