Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 1 16 oz. package dried black beans
  • 10 cups water (divided)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
  • 1 cup celery (diced)
  • 1 bell pepper (I used a yellow pepper, seeded and diced)
  • 1 onion (peeled and diced)
  • 1 carrot (peeled and diced)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup fire roasted hatch chiles (diced, optional)
  • 1 leftover ham bone
  • 1 1/2 cups diced ham
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (with juice)
  • 1 jalapeño (diced (seeds & membranes make it hotter - so if you like it spicier, leave them in))
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • queso fresco (crumbled)
  • sour cream
  • green onions (diced)

Instruction

  • In a pot, add the dried beans. Sift through them with your fingers to remove any debris or stones. Add three cups water to cover beans. Soak the beans overnight.
  • The next day, drain the beans and set aside.
  • In a heavy dutch oven, add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the celery, bell pepper, onion and carrot for five minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  • To the vegetables, add the beans, bay leaves, hatch chiles and ham bone and 7 cups water.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until beans are tender.
  • Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add jalapeño and garlic and sauté for one -two minutes, until tender and fragrant.
  • Add cumin and onion powder to garlic mixture about a minute, until cumin smells toasty. Remove from heat.
  • Using tongs, remove ham bone from the soup.  Remove any loose meat from the bone to go back into the soup. Discard the bone.
  • Add diced ham, garlic mixture, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
  • Stir to combine, simmer, covered for 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.  Serve with your choice of toppings.