Black Bean Soup with Bacon
Servings 8
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
Soup:
- 5 slices of bacon cooked & crumbled
- 1 small sweet potato peeled & diced small
- ½ red bell pepper diced small
- ½ yellow onion diced small
- 1 carrot peeled and diced small
- 1 stalk of celery diced small
- 5 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp chile powder
- ½ tsp oregano
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 3 15-oz cans of black beans rinsed & drained
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp molasses
Toppings:
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Green onions chopped
- Avocado diced
- Grape tomatoes diced
- Cotija cheese crumbled
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Place a large Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add the bacon slices and cook until golden brown. Remove and place the pieces on paper towels to drain then crumble into bits.
- Wipe out all but 1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease. Add the sweet potato, red pepper, onion, carrot, and celery to the Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, cumin, chile powder, oregano, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the drained & rinsed black beans, chicken broth, bacon bits, lime juice, bay leaf, and molasses. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaf, then blend with an immersion blender for a minute or so. Taste and re-season if needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls, then top each bowl with fresh cilantro, green onion, avocado, cotija cheese, sour cream, and diced tomato. Serve & enjoy.