My girlfriend loves canned organic bean soup that you buy at the supermarket. She recently looked at
the label and found that it contains almost 2000mg of Sodium in the can – that’s your whole days worth. She then asked me if I had any alternatives. The only true alternative is making your own which will save you money too. You can make a large batch and freeze or jar leftovers. Here’s a recipe I found on Epicurious.com that is fairly low in Sodium and super simple. This recipe contains canned beans, which still contain a fair bit of Sodium and are quite gassy. I look forward to soaking my own beans and cooking them in the crock pot and incorporating them into a similar recipe – I’ll keep you posted.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
- 2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
- 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped green onions
- Crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately.
Makes 4-5 servings
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