Jorge's Bean Soup

My husband's father grew up in Texas and my husband spent much of his childhood there.  As a result, my cooking repertoire has grown to include several Tex-Mex-inspired meals over the years.  What follows is my father-in-law's bean soup recipe. I've had it several times, but there's not exactly a written recipe anywhere. I watched him make it once, but two years ago he moved back to Texas, thus leaving me on my own to re-create his classics for my husband.  The in-laws serve this as a side dish at most BBQ's (which is what we did on Sunday), but it is a good hearty soup that could be a meal on it's own, or paired with some cornbread. It also surprised me, after adding all the ingredients (which include beans, bacon, AND smoked sausage) into Myfitnesspal.com, to discover that a cup of this soup is only 150 calories!

Jorge's Bean Soup

Ingredients

4 slices bacon (+drippings)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 - cans pinto beans

1 - can diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

6 oz Eckrich Smoked Sausage (one link out of the package of two large links or "rope"), chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 cups water

salt and pepper, to taste

cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Cook bacon slices, remove after slices are cooked through, but still soft, set aside.

2. Add onion, garlic, and green pepper to bacon drippings, saute on medium heat until onions are translucent and softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Deglaze the pan with the broth then dump in both cans of beans and the tomatoes. Resist the urge to strain and rinse. Jorge never does such a thing.

4.  Chop the bacon and sausage into bite-sized pieces... this is a soup after all. Add the meat to the pot along with the 2 cups of water, and spices and give the whole thing a stir.

5.  I like to bring the soup to a gentle boil, then turn it down to simmer.  Put a lid on it and let it simmer while you prepare the rest of the meal.  I've left this to simmer for hours and I've also enjoyed it in 20 minutes.  

6. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of chopped, fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 cup (makes 11 cups of soup): 148 calories / 16 cabs / 7 g fat / 7 g protein