Black Bean Soup with Ham

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Black Bean Soup with Ham

Black bean soup with ham is a my answer to "What do I do with all this leftover ham?" Thick, smoky and deeply satisfying, it's hearty enough for a full meal and easy enough to make on a busy weeknight.

Prep Time15

Cook Time23

Total Time38

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bean Soup, Leftovers Recipe

Servings: Servings

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

Olive oil spray
8 ounces thick ham slices cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper seeded & minced (See Note 1 below)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves minced
1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
3 (14 ounces each) cans black beans drained and rinsed
2 ½ cups chicken broth (See Note 2 below)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
Juice of ½ large lime or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup minced cilantro

Instructions

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray to coat the bottom. Add the ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham is browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan. Add the onion, celery, red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and tender, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and bay leaves. Sauté for 1 minute.
Stir in the black beans, broth and diced green chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup is simmering. Partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves. If you have an immersion blend, blend the soup until chunky. Make sure the head of the blender is submerged at all times to avoid spraying hot soup on yourself! If using a regular blender, let the soup cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then blend in two batches. Use the pulse mode so the soup is chunky, not fully blended. After each few pulses, lift the lid a little to release some of the steam. This stops the lid from coming off while blending.
Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve.

Notes

Note 1: There are a few ways to adjust the spiciness of the soup. If you're sensitive to spice, reduce or leave out the jalapeño pepper. For more spice, leave in the seeds and membranes of the pepper.

Note 2: Use reduced or low-sodium broth if sodium is a concern. This will affect the overall seasoning of the soup, but you can adjust the other spices and lime juice to compensate.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the built-in recipe card calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.

Nutrition