Quick Black Bean Soup

This soup made a great weeknight meal with cornbread. I liked the flavor with the lime juice, but it needed to be a little thicker. Possibly adding more beans would have helped. I just saw another recipe for a very similar soup in Fine Cooking that had four cans of beans and sweet potatoes. I might try that one next time.

Quick Black Bean Soup
from Everyday Food
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (2 ounces) finely chopped reduced-fat ham (such as Hormel)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cans beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Place bean mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return soup to pan. Add remaining 1/2 can of beans to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in juice; set aside.
2. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon ham.