Black Bean Soup

Submitted by Tracy K

"Simple, hearty, and satisfying, this delicious southwestern-style soup goes together in about 40 minutes and uses many pantry staples. For a lighter soup, omit the bacon and saute the veg in a Tbsp. of olive oil."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 3 -4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried chipotle powder (or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, diced (remove seeds and membranes for less heat)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water (for thickening) (optional)
• lime wedge (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• cilantro (to garnish) (optional)

directions

1. Cook bacon over medium heat till crispy and till the fat has rendered out.
2. Remove bacon, set aside.
3. Leave about 1 1/2 Tbsp drippings in pan.
4. Cook onion, bell pepper, chipotle powder, jalapeno, cumin, and salt in bacon drippings over moderate heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
5. Add garlic and cook another minute.
6. Add broth, beans, and reserved bacon and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes.
7. Using an immersion (stick) blender, blend soup to desired consistency.
8. Thicken with a mixture of cornstarch and water if you desire a thicker soup.
9. Serve with lime wedges, sour cream, and cilantro.

Reviews

[CookbookCarrie]

Oooh Yummy! My whole family liked this, even the bean-hater DD. Great flavor, I made mine w/o the bacon and it was really tasty. I removed about 2 cups of the soup and pureed it with my immersion blender then poured it back in. This thickened it up nice and I didn't have to use the cornstarch.

 

[Teresa in St. Paul, MN]

This recipe tastes great and is so easy.. plus all of the ingredients are usually on hand at our house. The bacon is absolutely necessary.. doesn't have the same taste without it.

 

[HarveyR]

Very good! I didn't add any meat for health and budget reasons (grad school). I used olive oil instead of the bacon drippings. I immersion-blended it and served it over rice. This will be a keeper. Thanks!

 

[michele morgan]

I didn't use the bacon or jalepeno pepper and it was excellent. DH went back for seconds!

 

[Dona England]

Fantastic, loved the soup.Thanks,