Pantry Black Bean Soup

James Craig's Note:

This is an adapation of a recipe that was published in the book, Desperation Dinners by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• garlic
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 can salsa flavored tomato
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 (15 ounce) can corn kernels , drained

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the soup pot on medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While onions brown slightly, pour 1 can of beans and juice into a large cereal bowl using the back of a serving sized spoon, mash the beans until they are broken up and pasty.
4. Add the garlic into the soup pot and cook 1 minute.
5. Raise the heat to high and add broth.
6. Both cans of beans and their juice, stir well.
7. Add tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, cumin and vinegar and corn if desired.
8. Cover pot and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, or until ready to serve.
10. Stir often to prevent sticking.

Reviews

[Kishka]

This was very good and it was ready in no time. It was especially nice to be able make dinner without having to go to the grocery store first. I used creamed corn and petite-diced tomatoes (what I had on hand) and added a diced potato. I added a pinch of sugar, some chili powder and ground black pepper, too, to kick up the flavor because I didn't have salsa flavored tomatoes. Definitely a keeper (and I think I will stick with the creamed corn - it worked really well). Thanks! (I originally gave it 4 stars, but had it again the next day and it was even better, so it's been bumped up!)

[Chicagopm]

This was a great soup to have on this cold day. It's so easy and fast to prepare. I didn't have any salsa flavored tomatoes so I added a can of plain ones and a couple of tablespoons of prepared Sofrito. At the end, I added a can of cooked chicken to the soup to make it a little heartier for dinner. Thank you for this recipe! I will definitely be making this again!