Pork Carnitas Black Bean Soup

Soup Swaps Are the New Cookie Swap

I heard recently that soup swaps are the new cookie swaps. While I am unsure that soup will EVER replace cookies, swapping soup among friends is a great way to have a handy lunch in the freezer for those days when you are feeling under the weather or just plain lazy. I usually fall into the latter category.

Lunch Sucks

Now is the time for me to admit to you all that I absolutely hate making lunch. For me, it’s the worst meal of the day because it has to be small, yet satisfying (and not boring!). Most of the time when I cook, I like to go big. Since I work from home, it’s easy to look up from my keyboard and notice that it’s 2 pm and I haven’t eaten any lunch, or worse yet…anything at all. Suddenly I am starving! Usually I end up making scrambled eggs and toast because it’s easy and filling and I refuse to have canned soup in the pantry. Now that I’ve done my first soup exchange, my freezer is stocked and there are no excuses.

Fridge Soup

The soup that I made for our Bite Club exchange took very little time to make since I had some leftover Pork Carnitas in the fridge. This is a quick, meaty and warming soup for those very cold days when you wish you were on a sunny beach somewhere. Since I was making it for an exchange, I didn’t add any spice to it but I think you could add some chili flakes or float a cut chili in the soup as it’s cooking. Alternatively, add some hot sauce just before you eat it for that extra kick.

Tips on Hosting a Soup Swap

Here are some tips on hosting/participating in a soup swap.

1. Limit the number of people. 6 seems to be a good number as not many people make more than 6 litres of soup at a time.
2. Make sure everyone knows what kind of dietary restrictions/allergies are required.
3. Include the recipe for your soup, reheating instructions, and if any extra stock will be needed for serving it.
4. Freeze your soup in 1 litre portions ahead of time.
5. If you use glass jars to freeze your soup, make sure there’s a LOT of room for expansion. No one likes glass in their soup.
6. Here’s a great chance to use up all of your ‘Ukrainian Tupperware’. Reuse margarine and yoghurt containers.
7. Don’t cheap out. No, I don’t want your 500 ml of soup for my full litre.

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Pork Carnitas Black Bean Soup

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Pork Carnitas Black Bean Soup

by: Bernice Hill

2.3 rating based on 6 ratings

Slow cooked Pork Carnitas turned into a soup!

• Difficulty:Easy
• Prep Time:20 mins
• Cook Time:500 mins
• Serves:12
• Freezable:Yes

Nutrition per portion

Ingredients

• 4 lbs pork shoulder; trimmed OR pork steaks
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 oranges; zested and juiced
• 2 limes; juiced
• 4 cloves garlic; minced
• FOR THE SOUP
• 6 cups shredded pork carnitas
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion; diced
• 2 cloves garlic; finely minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 8 cups (2 L) chicken stock
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 2 - 14 oz cans black beans; drained and rinsed
• hot sauce (optional)

Method

For the Pork Carnitas

1. In a small bowl, mix herbs, spices, and salt together. Rub into the pork and season with pepper.
2. Place pork in a slow cooker and add citrus juices, zest, and minced garlic.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the pork and enjoy!

For the soup

1. Add oil to a soup pot and sweat the diced onions on medium heat until they become translucent. Add garlic and sauté for a few more minutes.
2. Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano and sauté for a minute or two.
3. Add diced tomatoes and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan.
4. Add stock and let the soup come to a boil.
5. Add pork and black beans, return to a boil.
6. Serve or portion into containers for a soup swap!