Black bean soup

I made this soup tonight thinking I would double it and freeze the rest for after baby comes. Not so!! I doubled it, but  it was a surprise hit! George and Ben each had 4 helpings and I maybe have enough left for 2 bowls!!! 
Notes: I did not use any sausage, so I put it in parenthesis. I ended up adding more broth and water because it needed more liquid. I served it with rice, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. Below is the original recipe, which I then doubled.

Black Bean Soup
Makes: 6 servings
Yield: about 7 1/2 cups

Prep: 1 hr 30 minsCook: 1 hr 15 minsStand: 6 hrs to 8 hrs(soak) overnight

ingredients

• 1
  cup dry black beans
• 2
  cups chicken broth
• 2
  cups water
• 1
  cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 1
  cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
• 1
  teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4
  teaspoon salt
• 1/8 - 1/4
  teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4
  cloves garlic, minced
  
  
  3 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
  
  
• (8
  ounces cooked, smoked turkey sausage or Polish sausage, chopped)
• Dairy sour cream or shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
• Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)

directions

1.Rinse beans. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine beans and 6 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (Or, place beans in water in pan. Cover and let soak in a cool place for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.) Drain and rinse beans.

2.Return beans to saucepan. Stir in chicken broth, water, onion, celery, coriander, salt, crushed red pepper, (sherry), and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1 12 hours or until beans are tender.

3.If desired, mash beans slightly. Stir in sausage; heat through. If desired, serve topped with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro.

4.Makes 6 servings (about 7 1/2 cups)

from the test kitchen

• Equipment Slow-cooker directions:Prepare as above through Step 1. In a 3 12- or 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken broth, water, onion, celery, coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Stir in beans. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. If desired, mash beans slightly. Stir in sausage. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.
• Variation Shortcut Black Bean Soup with Sausage:Prepare as above, except omit dry black beans and the 6 cups soaking water. Decrease chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups. Rinse and drain two 15-ounce cans black beans. In a large saucepan combine beans, broth, water, onion, celery, coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in sausage; heat through. Makes 4 servings (6 1/2 cups).Nutrition Facts per 1 1/2 cups: 268 cal., 8 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 1,421 mg sodium, 35g carbo., 11g dietary fiber, 25 g protein.Daily Values: 1% vit. A, 8% vit. C, 13% calcium, 19% iron.Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Starch, 2 Lean Meat

nutrition facts (Black Bean Soup with Sausage)

• Servings Per Recipe 6,
 
• Calories 198,
 
• Protein (gm) 14,
 
• Carbohydrate (gm) 24,
 
• Fat, total (gm) 6,
 
• Cholesterol (mg) 29,
 
• Saturated fat (gm) 2,
 
• Monosaturated fat (gm) 2,
• Polyunsaturated fat (gm) 2,
 
• Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 6,
 
• Sugar, total (gm) 1,
 
• Vitamin A (IU) 49,
 
• Vitamin C (mg) 3,
 
• Thiamin (mg) 0,
 
• Riboflavin (mg) 0,
 
• Niacin (mg) 1,
 
• Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,
 
• Folate (µg) 12,
 
• Sodium (mg) 682,
 
• Potassium (mg) 603,
 
• Calcium (DV %) 81,
 
• Iron (DV %) 2,
 
• Vegetables () 1,
 
• Starch () 2,
 
• Lean Meat () 1,
 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet