Salsa Soup

I came up with this recipe on a whim. 

After church on Sunday, we were trying to figure out what to eat. 

I wanted something serving-worthy as my mom was here for the weekend, 

and I wanted something warm and comforting as it was 45 degrees outside. 

I decided to make a pot of soup. 

I started with sauteing onions and garlic and honestly had NO idea where I was going from there. 

Once I picked the "Mexican" salsa theme, I was on a roll. 

I fashioned this recipe after my Black Bean dump Salsa which is amazingly fast and perfectly delicious and satisfies all those Mexican food cravings without a hint of unhealthiness.

I think this might be one of my favorite soups ever. 

It's really pretty much a chili--minus the meat. 

It's so fat free it's not even funny. 

That is, until you had 12 spoons full of sour cream as garnish. lol

Ingredients

Drizzle of oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1/2-1 whole green pepper, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt

pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1--15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1--15 oz can corn, drained

1--15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (or just the tomatoes, whatever you have on hand!)

1--28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups beef (or other) broth

Directions

Heat a large stock pot over medium low. Drizzle with oil and saute onions and garlic. Add in peppers and stir. Cook until softened. Stir in cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. After 3-5 minutes, pour in beans, corn, and tomatoes. Thoroughly incorporate ingredients and cook another couple minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes. Pour some of the broth into the empty crushed tomato can to get all of the tomatoe-y goodness in your soup. Add the broth and stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium low for 15 minutes to 2 hours. 

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and cilantro.