Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 small chipotle pepper, diced
- 2 T cumin
- 2 T thyme
- 2 T oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 box beef broth
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatos
- 3 15oz cans of pinto beans, drained
- 2-3 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook the bacon until crispy in a large dutch oven.
- Remove from the bacon pieces to paper to drain. Leave enough bacon grease in the bottom of the pan to saute the vegetables.
- Add the onion, pepper, celery, carrot, cumin, thyme, and oregano. Saute until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two, until fragrent.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaves. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper, cumin, thyme or oregano to taste. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. A half hour or hour would be better. Remove the bay leaves
- (For picky kids who might balk at all the vegies) Puree the soup in the pot with a stick blender until smooth (or use a regular blender if you don't have a stick blender).
- Add the bacon pieces back to the pot. You can either sever immediately or let it simmer a little bit more so the bacon pieces soften.
My 6 yr old daughter loved it. especially after adding a dollop of sour cream to her bowl. In addition to the sour cream, we also kicked it up with shredded cheese and hot sauce.