Because we like spice, I added coriander, chipolte chili pepper and chili powder...sorry, but I did not measure. I also put the crumbled bacon directly into the soup (which I did on the stovetop and did not process). All in all, even before my additions, it's a great soup!

I did change a few things but very few. First, I had dry beans on hand so I used those and instead of bacon, I used real bacon bits. I also used a can of whole kernel corn and a can of rotel tomatoes but omitted the carrots. All in all, it had a very good flavor and came together very easily.

I thought it was okay. I think the seasonings could use some tweaking. The cumin was a bit overwhelming.

Used white beans with chicken broth came out well

This is a delicious recipe! I, too, cooked everything on the stovetop and used broth instead of the water and bouillon. I also will add more hot pepper sauce next time to give it a little more kick, but otherwise it was super yummy. Served it with a corn bread recipe on this website.

I know some people will be irritated with my review, since I REALLY tinkered with this recipe big time! But... here goes! -I think a lot of flavor would be lost if I nuked everything, so I did this on the stove. Taking some comments from Naples review, I picked up a poblano to add to this...and what the heck, I thought, a small sweet potato would be yummy too! I added the poblano and potato with the mirepoix/holy trinity. Once the veg cooked down, I added beef stock (canned) and tomatoes... fresh from the farmers market which I diced. With all the extra veggies and since I was halving the recipe, I only added one can of black beans (which I put in after the tomatoes simmered a bit). Here's where it may get weird: I had about 1/2 cup refried beans leftover from a different recipe and stirred them in. You'd never guess they were in there... I swear, but it made for a thicker broth. I didn't puree anything. Let me tell you how awesome this turned out! :) If you've read this far, hopefully you'll give the recipe a shot, even if you find yourself tweaking it too! It's delish! Trust me when I tell you: it's fantastically delicious!

I made this as written except that I omitted carrots and cooked the whole thing in the crock pot.

I recognized this recipe as having a great start, but I also knew I’d be improvising quite a bit, adding some things to make it even more appealing to me. I particularly liked the bacon, garlic and tomato, so there was no way I was about to change that. But I wanted something more complex, with a greater depth of flavor. Also, the microwave cooking method didn’t appeal to me, so I cooked it completely on the stove-top. And I figure the time I saved by not pulsing anything in the food processor and not bothering to puree any of the soup made up for any time lost by not microwaving. So…I sautéed some diced bacon, added the directed “holy trinity” of onion, celery and carrot, the garlic, but I also added a jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, and a chopped poblano pepper, although bell pepper would have worked fine too. (These measurements all based on the recipe scaled to 3 servings) I wanted it a little meatier, so I added some cubed ham – chopped, cooked chicken would be another fine choice. I let that simmer awhile before adding the beans, some frozen corn and a handful of chopped, fresh cilantro. I used beef stock, a little extra than called for, in order to accommodate the extra vegetables. I served this with a little plotch of sour cream and some crispy tortilla strips. I tasted this before supper for purposes of writing this review (tho’ I never taste when I cook – never have) and before you know it I had chowed down two bowls. This stuff is awesome good.

This is an excellent recipe and everyone who's tried it loves it. I made a few minor changes just using what I had on hand, nothing that would have had a huge impact on the end product. I made this soup without the bacon, and used ground chipotle powder and bottled crushed chili peppers instead of the hot pepper sauce. I also threw in a can of corn...it just seemed to need that. I also did the whole recipe on the stove top and skipped the fooling around with the microwave. When I make it again I will probably still skip the bacon but will try adding a few drops of liquid smoke. The soup was a HUGE hit!