Sunday Dinners: Black Bean Soup

I'm sorry about not posting anything yesterday. My computer received a nasty virus and is finally working. Hooray!

I was looking for a hearty black bean soup recipe and came across Dave Lieberman's recipe for Black Bean Soup on foodnetwork.com. I needed a delicious hearty soup for a baby shower I was hosting. And this recipe foot the bill. It was an instant hit--for those that like cilantro. I LOVE cilantro. So I LOVED this soup. Even though I LOVE cilantro I doubled this recipe, but did not double the cilantro. I didn't want to overpower all the ladies. I also simmered the soup, to meld the flavors, for over an hour. Enjoy.

This picture does not do this soup justice. I LOVED this soup.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro (when I doubled the recipe I did not double the cilantro)
juice of 1/2 lime (I accidentally poured in the fresh lemon juice that was sitting on my counter for another recipe)
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Directions

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

I simmered the soup (including the cilantro) for over an hour.

If you try this recipe, or have made it before, let us know what you think. If you have a favorite soup recipe we'd love to share it. Send the recipe to hiptoclip(at)gmail(dot)com and we'll post it. We're always on the lookout for new recipes.