Smoky Black Bean Soup

I really enjoyed this soup. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Sometimes I get all gung-ho to make a recipe, and then somehow, I lose my excitement right in the middle of making it! That happened with this one. All was set right after the first taste test, however :)

I always forget how much I love black bean soup. I first tried it in college, and immediately fell in love. I love the thick, creamy texture, and being able to customize each bowl with sour cream and shredded cheese. The weather during those 4 years of college seemed to be rain 90% of the time, so a toasty bowl of soup was always appreciated after running home soaked after class.

I found this recipe to be a thick, comforting soup. It wasn't bad for a summer evening, but I can tell this will be perfect comfort food for a bitterly cold winter's night. I served mine with bread and butter, which was delicious. A light salad would also make a good side dish to this filling soup. Bonus: This soup doesn't take a lot of ching-ching to make. It was actually extremely wallet friendly, mostly utilizing pantry items.

I hope everyone made it through Monday! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning, but I had lunch with a friend in the afternoon. It was my first experience trying a Chinese restaurant in the area, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's always nice to add more variety to an already small and homogenous repertoire of restaurants :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 (3 oz) links chicken sausage, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
4 tsp lime juice, divided
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add sausage in a single layer. Let cook for 2 minutes, stir to flip sausages over. Cook another 2 minutes, or until sausages are browned. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon, set aside.
2. Add onion and bell pepper to pan, saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and cumin through pepper to the pan.
3. In a small bowl, add 1 can of beans. Using a potato masher, mash the can of beans. Add mashed beans, normal beans, broth, and chipotle to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. While soup is simmering, combine sour cream, 1 tsp lime juice, honey, and salt. Set aside.
5. Remove soup from heat, stir in reserved sausage and 3 tsp lime juice. Salt to taste. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream mixture.

Recipe adapted from Fitness Magazine