A Note Before You Start
The original recipe calls for 1 can of black beans and 1 can of pinto beans. I omitted the black beans.
Ingredients
1 cup of diced yellow onion
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 jalapeno pepper diced
4 cups of vegetable broth ( or chicken broth if you're not a vegetarian)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of mild or medium salsa verde
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
2 15 oz cans of small white beans rinsed and drained
1 cup of fresh or frozen corn
3/4 cup of dried orange or red lentils
2 Tbsp of avocado oil or olive oil
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup of heavy cream or half and half or 4 oz of cream cheese (optional)
Toppings of your choice: tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeno pepper, diced red onion, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and/or sour cream.
Preparation
Step 1: In a large dutch oven pot add the avocado oil (or olive oil) and heat on medium high. Add the peppers, onions and saute until soft. Turn the heat down to medium and add the dry spices and stir for another 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the vegetable or chicken broth, tomato sauce, salsa verde, tomato paste, and lentils. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Add one can of rinsed and drained beans. If you like a thicker soup, use an immersion blender or a traditional blender, and puree half of the soup and return it to the dutch oven. Add the corn and the remaining can of beans, and half and half or cream and warm through. Add your toppings of choice.