Black Bean Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 15
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 carrots, skinned and chopped diagonally
• 2 stalks celery, chopped diagonally
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped
• 2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes (or 8 fresh, steamed peeled and chopped)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans black beans
• 8 hot italian sausages, peeled (about two pounds)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme, leaves removed
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1 1/2 liters vegetable broth (i highly recommend the sodium reduced stuff!)
• 1 large vidalia onion, diced finely

Recipe

• 1 heat olive oil in a pot.
• 2 add onions, garlic and skinned sliced sausages; sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• 3 add carrots and celery, sauté 5 minutes.
• 4 add peppers and tomatoes, sauté 5 minutes.
• 5 add salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf, sauté 5 minutes.
• 6 drain and puree one can of black beans, add other can with juice, and sauté 5 minutes.
• 7 add vegetable broth.
• 8 lower temperature and simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
• 9 tastes the better for longer cooking. remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig on completion.