Black Bean + Bacon Soup
Author: 
Cuisine: Soup, Comfort food
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 large bowls
 
Who doesn't love soup on a cold day? This recipe simmers for a while – upwards of two hours – so this is a good recipe to make when you are home for the day and can keep a casual eye on it.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried black beans
  • 3 large bacon slices, diced
  • 1 c chopped sweet onion (about half of a large onion)
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and pepper minced {DO NOT touch your face after you cut it! Or wear gloves when you are handling the inside.}
  • 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth (4 14-oz cans, or just shy of 2 boxes)
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • .5 c fresh cilantro, minced
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 1 t kosher salt
  • .5 t freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Rinse and soak the black beans (the night before):
  1. Pour the beans into a strainer, and pick out anything that doesn't look like a bean. Rinse them with water and pour into a medium or large bowl.
  2. Cover the beans with water, leaving 2" of water above the top of the beans. Cover the bowl and let it rest overnight (or for 8 hours). After they finish that soak, drain and rinse them in the strainer.
Make the soup:
  1. In a large dutch oven or a large heavy-bottomed pan, spread the bacon in as much of a single layer as you can get. Turn the heat to medium high, and cook the bacon, stirring and flipping until it is crisp.
  2. Remove the bacon from the pot to a piece of paper towel {a slotted spoon may be helpful here}, and leave the bacon grease in the pot.
  3. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until they are tender (about 10 min).
  4. Add the garlic and jalapeño and sauté for a minute or two.
  5. Add the beans, two-thirds of the cooked bacon, broth, and crushed tomatoes, and bring to a boil.
  6. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 90 minutes or until the beans are tender.
  7. Ladle 4 to 6 cups of the soup (scoop to get the solid pieces more than the liquid) into a food processor or blender, and let it rest until it cools a bit. Take heed of any markings on your device that warn you of the liquid fill line. If you have to do it in two batches, that's fine. Remember it will expand when you process it!
  8. Process until smooth and return the pureed soup to pot and stir to incorporate it.
  9. Stir in two-thirds of the cilantro, and the lime juice, salt, and pepper.
  10. Top with more cilantro and the remaining bacon bits.
Recipe by My Utensil Crock at https://www.myutensilcrock.com/2016/01/28/black-bean-bacon-soup/