smoky black bean and rice soup

Smoky Black Bean and Rice Stoup
from Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals
Serves 4

3 bacon slices, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 celery ribs
1 med. Onion
4 garlic cloves
1 C frozen corn kernels
2 15 oz. Cans black beans
1 Tblsp. Ground coriander
1 Tblsp. Chili powder
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper
1 15 oz. Can diced tomatoes, fire roasted if you have them
1 8 oz. Can tomato sauce
1 quart chicken stock
1 C uncooked rice

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the bay leaf, celery, onions, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the veggies. Add the corn and 1 can of black beans and their juice. Drain the other can, then add half the can of beans. Mash the remaining beans in the can with a fork to make a paste out of them, then scrape them into the soup pot–this will make the soup thick! Season the veggies and beans with the coriander, chili, ground cumin, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Cover the pot and raise the heat to bring the stoup to a boil. Add the rice and cook the stoup over a rolling simmer until the rice is tender but has a little bite left to it, 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and serve.