Hearty Ham, Bacon and Black Bean soup

Beans, black, 453 grams/16 oz bag, cleaned and soaked
Canned Tomatoes, 1 can or 10 fresh cherry or sugar snap, cut in half
Bacon - Farmland Thick Sliced Bacon, 1/2 lb sliced
Ham, regular (11% fat), 2 cup, diced, cooked
Carrots, raw, 2 cup, chopped
Celery, raw, 2 cup, chopped
Onions, raw, 2 cup, chopped
*Red Bell Pepper (Peppers, sweet, red, raw) (USDA) (2 large, 164g), chopped
Garlic, 4 cloves minced
*Cumin powder, 6 tsp
Thyme, fresh, 2 tsp ground or 4 fresh stalks' leaves
Oregano, ground, 2 tsp or 2 fresh stalks' leaves
Bay Leaf, 1
Pepper, black, 1 tsp
Chicken stock, home-prepared, 8 cup or 2 Kirkland Chicken stock
Tomato Paste, 0.5 cup
Lime Juice, 2 tbsp
Cilantro (suggested)
Sour Cream (suggested)

Fresh herbs (oregano and thyme) will add much more flavor and aroma to this soup. This soup will keep for weeks in the fridge if stored in sealed jars or air tight containers, and can be home canned at this point, and and then a 30 minute hot-water bath to ensure sealing.

Use wide Dutch oven to cover bacon until crisp over medium heat, remove/crumble, retain 2 tbsp of fat in pain, then add onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, carrots and saute 1-2 minutes. Then cover and cook on low for 15 minutes until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, tomatoes, paste and beans, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium low, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours (or until beans are soft). Remove bay leaf, stir in lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and if desired, add sour cream and cilantro to the top of each serving.

Serving Size: Makes 12 1.5 cup servings

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JANISLANDER.