Cooking: Bean & Bacon Soup

Erin and I made this for the first time last night. It's a nice, easy soup for a chilly evening.

Ingredients
8 strips bacon
1 large carrot, chopped (about 3/4 c.)
2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 c.)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 c.)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cube beef bullion
2 - 15 1/2 oz. cans Great Northern or Cannelini beans, drained
1 - 15 1/2 oz. can Kidney beans, drained
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool, chop and set aside.
Over medium heat, add the carrot to the pan drippings in the Dutch oven and saute for 5 minutes. Add the celery, onion and garlic, stirring well and cooking for 3 minutes more. Add the beans, 2 c. water and bullion. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and remove some of the beans. Puree the beans and stir back into the soup to thicken it. Stir in the parsley, salt, pepper and bacon.
Serve hot.