Busy Mom Tip: Make the soup ahead and freeze in single serving sized containers for a quick meal.

Black Bean Soup Recipe

(original recipe is from Crazy Plates, by Janet and Greta Podleski)

1 cup of each chopped onions, red bell pepper, and carrots

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (make sure that you either wear gloves or are very careful after handling the hot pepper. Don't touch your eyes or tongue! Ouch!)

3 cups of beef broth

1 cup tomato sauce

two 19 oz cans of black beans, drained and minced

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp each lemon juice and brown sugar

2 tsp each dried oregano

1 tsp each chili powder, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

Toppings:

sour cream

Jack cheese

sliced green onion

tortilla chips

In a large soup pot with a bit of oil, saute the onion, bell pepper, carrots, garlic clove and jalapeno pepper until soft. Add all other ingredients except for the fresh cilantro and toppings, then bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until veggies are soft.

Working in batches, transfer 1/2 of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. You can blend all the soup if you prefer it very smooth, I like to have it kind of chunky so I only blend some of it. Return the soup to the pot and add the cilantro. Stir and heat back up until warm.

Serve with toppings on the table so everyone can help themselves!

Serves 4-6