White Bean and Red Pepper Soup

2  cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
5  bacon slices
2  cups chopped red bell pepper
1  cups diced onion
1  cup chopped carrot
1  teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon garlic powder
1/4  teaspoon black pepper
1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3  (16-ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2  cup  chopped fresh parsley

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 the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add beans. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1/2 hour or until beans are tender.

Place 3 cups of the bean mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureéd mixture to pan. Stir in the bacon and parsley.