Black Bean Soup

I found a Black Bean Soup recipe I love! I had it recently at my friend, Alicia's, house. Mmmm! Then, made a batch and took it up to Crystal River last week. It seemed to be popular there, too. Here you go:

BLACK BEAN SOUP

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used 2 cups of homemade chicken broth)
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (I used 2 cans of Rotelle Diced Tomatoes - mild heat, dump the whole can - undrained)
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder (I skipped the chili powder since I had the heat from the Rotelle tomatoes -and for me, it was just the right amount of heat)
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish Grated cheddar, for garnish

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder (if you choose to use chili powder). Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

So yummy...