Cuban Black Bean Soup

Like with almost any bean dish, you can add diced celery and carrot slices to this soup. In fact, adding some along with another cup of chicken broth will let you increase the servings to 8. You can wait until after it’s cooked to decide if you think it needs additional cumin, paprika, or chili powder.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• ½ pound bacon, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 smoked ham hocks
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the green pepper, onion, and bacon to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes; stir, then cover and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes or until the green pepper is tender and the onion is transparent. Stir in the garlic along with the paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Add the bay leaf, broth, ham hocks, and beans. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Remove the ham hocks and take the meat off of the bones; return meat to the pot. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired.