Black Bean Soup

We have some black bean lovers in our family.  If I make a soup or chili, one of my children will just eat the beans out of it.  So why not make a soup that is all beans?  Both girls loved this recipe and told me I needed to make it more often. If the 5 and 7 year old are happy,  I call that recipe a winner!

Next time I will probably double the recipe for our family of four.  We didn't have enough left over for another full meal.  But it is a very good recipe.  The lime and cilantro addition at the end are a very nice touch.  And it has bacon in it.  It's got to be good, right!

Ingredients:

10 slices bacon, chopped
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, pressed
14.5 ounces chicken broth (use gluten free brand to keep this a gluten free dish)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
4 cans black beans
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
thinly sliced scallions
sour cream (use vegan sour cream to keep this dairy free)
grated cheddar cheese (use vegan cheese to keep this dairy free)

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Cook until  crisp.  Stir in the onions and cook until they turn translucent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire and chili powder.  Stir in the beans, turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is bubbling gently, turn heat down to about medium and cook for 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the soup is cooking, wash and chop cilantro coarsley.  Stir it into the soup after it has cooked for 10 minutes.  Cook until the soup has thickened, about another 5 minutes.  Stir in the lime juice.  Serve with scallions sprinkled on top, grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!