BLACK BEAN SOUP

Cooking Time:
Servings: 12
Preparation Time:

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped carrot
3/4 cup chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeños±o pepper, seeded and minced
4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions, undrained
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Directions

Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse beans.
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion, carrot, and celery to drippings in pan; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté 2 minutes. Add beans, bacon, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Place 4 cups soup in a blender or food processor; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth; return pureed soup to pan. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Serve with sour cream.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 tablespoon sour cream)

Notes

This is a recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine and altered to suit my own tastes. Notes: Buy the dried beans from someplace with a high turnover rate, because the older the beans, the longer they have to soak. This is wonderful served with fresh cornbread.