Black Bean Soup

So, have you figured out yet that we did a soup lab last week? We actually had a successful lab in that everything turned out well and it all tasted good!! This recipe is from All Recipes, but we had to make a few changes in the amount of liquid--the original amount turned out basically refried bean consistency. We also added a little cheese. This was excellent!

Black Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
Olive oil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream (optional)

Saute onion, garlic, and green pepper in oil over medium heat until tender. Add beans and water and season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir well and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into blender and puree. Return to pot and reheat over medium low heat.
Pour a few drops of olive oil into each bowl for added flavor before serving. Top with sour cream.

Serves 4 (but with additional liquid, it would probably make six decent sized bowls)