Black Bean Soup

My college roommate and I used to make taco salad ALL the time.  We once went on a quest to find the very best supermarket salsa to use in the dressing.  After working our way through half the salsa aisle, we brought home Texas Texas Perfect Hot.  Game over- we had found our winner.  It tastes homemade, with big chunks of tomato and jalapeños.  I'm pretty sure I've kept Texas-Texas in business in the years since, as I ALWAYS have a jar in the fridge.  I use it every chance I get, which brings me to this black bean soup...

This dish is SO easy to throw together after a long day of work- if you can set aside 15 minutes to pour and stir, you're golden.  It satisfies my Tex-mex craving without the guilt of lard and cheese.  I've taken several liberties with the original recipe and am pleased with the final result.

Based on Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp oil
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
Splash of lime juice
Sour cream and sliced green onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and sauté until onion is tender and meat is done.

In a separate bowl, lightly mash beans with a fork or potato masher. Stir broth, salsa, and spices into mashed beans and mix. Pour into saucepan with ground beef mixture and cook until heated thoroughly. Add lime juice.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and green onions.