Black Bean Soup with Quesadillas

We really enjoyed this soup- especially served with a little cheese sprinkled on top. Our favorite part was dipping the quesadillas into the soup and using it as a dip. This soup is very healthy as well- bonus! Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of ourbestbites.com
Black Bean Soup
From Our Best Bites

1 T olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)
3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)
1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 3.5oz can green chilies
2 cans low-sodium beef broth
1 t kosher salt
1 dash black pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t dry oregano leaves (if you use ground oregano, use 1/4 t)
1 bay leaf
Lime

Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, lime

Add olive oil to a large stock pot on med-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic about 4-5 minutes. Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are soft. Remove from heat. Find that bay leaf and pull it out and discard it. Place all the soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the middle. Place a paper towel over the hole! Puree soup until completely smooth. Squeeze in the juice from one big lime (optional- I didn't have a lime on hand, so I skipped this and it still tasted great).
Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, tortilla chips, etc. Serve with extra lime wedges.