Christy Wilson, BS, RDN
www.christywilsonnutrition.com
Servings: 8-10 people
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
4 oz pancetta (Italian bacon), diced
1 small yellow or sweet onion (1½ - 2 cups diced)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1-2 cups mushrooms, chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 (14.4 oz) can diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cans black beans, drained and quickly rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1 bunch (at least 1 cup) chopped cilantro
Juice from 3 key limes, or more to taste
Garnish: Grated cheddar cheese and sliced avocado
Directions
- Put bacon in a warm large heavy pot. Heat over medium heat until bacon cooks and starts to give up its fat, about 5 minutes.
- Add onions and peppers and cook for about 3 minutes until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few minutes until you smell the garlic and the mushrooms begin to soften. Stir to combine all vegetables.
- Add tomato paste, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Allow the paste to melt into the vegetables and seasonings to coat them.
- Add broth, tomatoes, and Worcestershire, then stir in beans and increase heat setting. Once ingredients come to a boil, lower heat to keep the soup simmering for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- While ingredients simmer, rinse cilantro and pick leaves off of thick stems. Coarsely chop leaves and stir all but a few tablespoons (which you’ll use for garnish at the end) into the soup after it has been simmering and has thickened. Stir in lime juice.
- Using an immersion blender, puree all (or most) of the soup directly in the pot.*
- Top soup with grated cheese, sliced avocado, and cilantro.
*If you do not have a hand-held immersion blender, carefully transfer soup to a blender or food processor to puree ingredients. Add blended soup back into the pot and serve as directed.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories 230 Protein 14g Total Fat 4.5g Sodium 420mg Total Carbohydrates 33g