Best Bang For Your Buck Black Bean Soup

My well documented hate of throwing away food drove me to create this recipe back in my catering days to use up the ham that was left on a bone of a Honey Baked Ham spiral cut ham. Later I learned that the Honey Baked store sells ham bones with a ton of meat still attached for something like $5. They keep them frozen so just go in and ask to buy the ham bone.

This recipe is for a huge amount of soup because of how much ham is left on the bone. If you want to make less you can just add some chopped ham instead of using the bone, but it will cost you so much more and won’t have quite the same flavor.

This is not the lightest soup, but it is very filling and satisfying so a small cup will stay with you a long time.

1 half a ham bone with meat attached

5 big yellow onions chopped

10 cloves of garlic minced

3 T. olive oil

8 15 oz. cans of black beans drained and rinse

5 T. ground Cumin

1t. Cayenne pepper- more or less depending on how hot you like food

2T. Garlic powder

1T. Smoked Paprika

2T. Dried oregano

2 T. brown sugar

Juice of 2 Lemons

¼ Cup Sherry

Sweet Red Pepper Chopped

Bunch of flat leaf parsley Chopped

If you get a frozen ham bone you can start this soup by putting the ham in a big stockpot and adding a half-gallon of water and bringing it to a simmer to begin to thaw out the ham and develop the flavor of the water for the soup. If your ham is not frozen just start at the next step.

In a big stockpot put the olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about ten minutes stirring often. When the onions are translucent add the spices and cook for another two minutes to wake them up.

Add the ham bone and half a gallon of water at this point. If you have already started heating the ham in water add the onions and spices to that pot because it is easier to pour the onions that the water.

Bring the whole thing to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add the beans and cook uncovered for at least an hour to two hours. You want the liquid to reduce and thicken.

When thick take the ham bone out of the pot and let it cool enough to be able to cut any meat off of it.

Add the red peppers, brown sugar, sherry, lemon juice and the cut up meat back to the pot and cook for ten minutes. Taste for spiciness and add any cayenne you want. Add the parsley and serve. Good with Sour Cream