'Anything Goes' Easy Black Beans

Quick, healthy, and tastes good. Top with sour cream, if you like. Serve over rice or let it stand alone. You can also add just about anything else to this, that's why it's 'anything goes.' Add browned ground beef or turkey for a meaty, almost chili-like main dish. Garnish with diced hard-boiled eggs. Add chopped olives. Sometimes, I add cooked peas. I love the leftovers with scrambled eggs for breakfast; it's great the second day and in tortillas for lunch.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 148 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, or more to taste, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth, or more to taste, divided
• 1 dash chipotle-flavored hot sauce, or more to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Stir black beans, 1 cup chicken broth, tomato paste, and cumin together in a heavy pot over low heat; cook at a simmer until hot, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion, green bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper in hot oil until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes; add garlic and continue cooking just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the pot with the beans and stir.

Step 3

Stir sugar into the bean mixture, adding more chicken broth if you want more liquid in the final product; season with hot sauce and continue cooking at a simmer until the vegetables impart a savory flavor to the broth, 10 to 15 minutes.