Indian-Spiced Bean & Tomato Soup

I used to be all about canned beans until my friend Heather convinced me start cooking my own (much cheaper and much tastier). Since then, I've been buying up dried beans and haven't looked back! One of my favorite ways to use cooked beans is in soups, and this recipe has been in my rotation for a few weeks now.

Indian-Spiced Bean & Tomato Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 T olive or vegetable oil
1 finely chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
2-inch piece of ginger peeled and finely grated
1 seeded chopped jalapeno (or more if you like it spicy)
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground turmeric
1/4 t smoked paprika
1 can (15 ounces) peeled plum tomatoes with juice
4 cups cooked kidney beans, plus 2 cups cooking liquid
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and spices; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, beans and their liquid, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
3. Coarsely mash the tomatoes and beans using a potato masher until reached desired consistency; stir to blend.

This is a very thick and hearty soup that is perfect with pita chips on the side. It is inexpensive to make since dried beans are a steal, and if you have a bulk spices bin at your disposal, you can buy the spices for next to nothing. It's also very good for you with the high protein and fiber content from the beans and healing properties of the warm spices.

If you are on a low-calorie diet or simply looking for a healthy bowl of soup with lots of flavor, this is the soup for you!

~Tammy

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