Carolyn Munson smiles for a family photograph with husband Bob and their children Cooper and Ellie.

“At my old preschool, the parents used to bring us lunch during our faculty meetings,” says Carolyn Munson, a teacher at St. Anne’s Day School in Atlanta, Georgia. “One of my favorite moms, Laura, brought this one day. She turned little old black bean soup into a party. She brought chips, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, tomatoes and bacon and made an ordinary lunch really fun.

“I got the recipe and used it frequently. One time I ended up cooking the soup too long and subsequently ended up with my favorite Black Bean recipe. It reduced down to pure yumminess!”

Carolyn is a native of Texas who loves the flavors of the Southwest, so she often pairs her Black Beans with enchiladas—a family favorite. “I could eat all things Tex-Mex,” she says.

Black Beans

This side dish from Carolyn pairs nicely with tacos, enchiladas and tostadas.

• 10 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped (about 21/2 Cups)
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed (or 1 ½ tsp MINCED GARLIC rehydrated in 1 TB. water)
• 2 Cups chicken broth (2 cups water plus 1 ½ tsp. CHICKEN SOUP BASE)
• 1 14.5-oz. can chopped tomatoes
• 2 TB. ketchup
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB. CHILI POWDER
• 4 15.5-oz. cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1 12 oz. bottle/can beer
• 1/2-1 tsp. KOSHER FLAKE SALT, to taste (omit if using salted chicken broth)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. PENZEYS BLACK PEPPER, to taste
• 1 TB. lime juice (juice of 1/2 lime)
• 2 TB chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• Toppings: thinly sliced scallions, sour cream, and grated cheddar cheese

Put the bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, a couple more minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire and CHILI POWDER. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Pour in the beer. Adjust the heat to medium-low so the beans are bubbling gently and cook for 10 minutes. Carolyn says, "We often cook longer so it becomes really thick!" Season with SALT and PEPPER and stir in the lime juice. Stir cilantro, if using, into the beans. Serve with scallions, sour cream and cheddar cheese on the side.

Nutritional Information: Servings 8;
Serving Size 1 cup (300g); Calories 220; Calories from fat 120; Total fat 13g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 640mg; Carbohydrate 19g; Dietary Fiber 4g.