Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

I had a ham bone lying around to use up so I added it to the mix and used water instead of the broth listed in the recipe below. This soup is an easy vegan meal, but you can add some kind of sausage, crumbled bacon or diced ham if desired. In a hurry, you could even substitute 6 cans of black beans for the dried beans and have dinner ready in just a few minutes of simmering to heat the ingredients through. I intended to puree this soup entirely, but realized that I had packed up my immersion blender months ago so I left it chunky. It's delicious either way. Serve with your favorite assortment of cilantro, chopped onion, hot sauce, sour cream, shredded cheddar and/ or avocado for topping.

-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 onion, diced
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight, then drained and rinsed
-1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
-5 cups veggie or chicken broth
-1 Tbsp sugar
-2-4 Tbsp hot sauce
-1 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
-2 Tbsp lime juice

Heat olive oil in medium large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute 5 minutes, until it softens. Add garlic, saute 1 additional minute, until fragrant. Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth, sugar, hot sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans reach desired tenderness (1.5-2 hours). Taste and adjust salt and spices. Stir in lime juice. Either serve soup as is, or puree with an immersion blender, food processor or blender and serve with desired toppings.