Mexican White Bean Soup

By Thom7747

Turn to the pantry for a hearty and comforting soup packed with beans, vegetables, and spices.

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 8 ounces dried navy beans ( 1-1/4 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 14.5-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 orange
• 1 cup salsa verde
• Light dairy sour cream (optional)
• Fresh cilantro

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse beans. In a 4- to 5 quart Dutch oven combine beans and 6 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

2. In the Dutch oven cook onion, celery, carrots and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Add broth and 2 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

3. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend mixture slightly. (Or let soup cool slightly. Transfer mixture, one-third at a time, to a blender. Cover; blend slightly.) Return to pan. Finely shred 1 teaspoon peel from orange; then juice the orange. Stir orange juice, peel and salsa verde into soup; heat through. Top with sour cream, if desired, cilantro, and a dash of cayenne.