Black Bean Soup with Bacon

I created this for a quick lunch with a few inexpensive ingredients and was very pleased. My husband said that this one is a winner so I thought I would share with others. I personally don’t care for cilantro but it makes a nice garnish. Serve with tortillas and guacamole salad.

Step: 1

Fry the bacon in a microwave until crisp, or cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, crumble, and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings, if desired.

Step: 2

Roughly chop the carrots, onion, and celery and transfer to a food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped.

Step: 3

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the reserved bacon drippings (if using), the chopped vegetables, garlic, water, bouillon cubes, and 1 can of diced tomatoes with their juice. Cook on high for 5 minutes to soften vegetables.

Step: 4

Pour the vegetable mixture into a saucepan and add 2 cans of rinsed and drained black beans. Season with the cumin, hot sauce, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes.

Step: 5

Use an immersion blender to puree the hot mixture. (If you don’t have a hand-held blender, puree the mixture in batches in a food processor or standard blender.)

Step: 6

Stir in the remaining can of diced tomatoes and can of black beans. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add water if the consistency is too thick for your liking. Bring the soup to a simmer and heat for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Per Serving: 172 calories; protein 8.5g; carbohydrates 12.1g; fat 9.6g; cholesterol 24.2mg; sodium 857.3mg.

The name of “stew” can refer to 2 time a dish and a make dishes method. Stewing makes slowly cooking chunks of meat, raw fruit or beans in a flavorful liquid . It’s similar to braising, but it makes have a few notable differences. The raw animal vested is chopped into smaller pieces instead of being cooked whole , and the water based material completely covers the essential in a stew as compared to a braise’s halfway all of it . When meat or raw fruit are cooked using this method, the resulting dish is called stew.

Stew has a perception for being a rib-sticking eating process that warms you up on a freezing , winter day. It’s right that ; a bowl of classic beef stew does have warming featured food , but stew’s cozy factor more than a way beyond protecting you from the cold . It’s all about those tender chunks of food and vegetables, swimming in a thick, ultra-rich gravy. The way they come together creates the ultimate comfort food, no matter the weather.