Meatless Monday! Black Bean Soup

Bust out your crockpots, here's a good one! It's from Cooking Light. I served it over some white rice, because it was so thick, it was great as a Rice and Beans dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used Veggie broth)
  
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.

2. Combine beans, broth, and next 5 ingredients (through chile) in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Stir in juice and salt. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

***I used a potato masher to mash up some of the soup. I just like it to be a little starchy and thick.


Want to go Meatless one night a week? Visit Meatless Monday for ideas!