Chasing Grace

I love this soup. It’s one of my all-time favorites and is ridiculously easy to make.

Ingredients:

olive oil
two garlic cloves, minced
one half onion (or very small onion), chopped small
dried basil, one generous tablespoon
dried thyme, one generous teaspoon
salt
tabasco sauce (optional)
one can chicken broth
one can black beans, drained very thoroughly
chopped green onions or scallions
shredded jack cheese
sour cream (optional)

Saute garlic, onion and dried herbs in olive oil over medium heat. Adjust the amount of herbs to your taste. Add about three dashes of tabasco, or to taste, or just leave it out if you don’t like it. Saute till onion is soft and translucent.

Add salt (or not if you’re trying to cut back) and chicken broth. Fill the emptied broth can halfway with water and add that as well. Add black beans. Stir all of it together, reducing the heat to medium-low, and allow to gently simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Using a potato masher, very gently mash the beans right in the pan, four or five times around the bottom of the pan is sufficient. You don’t need to mash them all. (I suppose you could take some of the soup out and blend it in a blender or food processor, but that’s too much work for me. The potato masher works just fine).

Stir gently while allowing the soup to simmer for a few minutes more. When you are ready to serve it, garnish with the green onions and shredded cheese. Add a spoonful of sour cream if you like.

Serves two. Increase amounts accordingly for more servings.

For added protein and to make it more of a meal, you can add cooked and chopped sausage or chicken when you add the beans.