½ cup minced onion
½ cup minced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
½ cup chicken broth, or more as needed
1 teaspoon vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 dash hot sauce to taste (optional)
Cook bacon in a pot over medium heat until almost crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and green pepper to the bacon; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in cilantro, garlic, and bay leaf; cook and stir until flavors combine, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir beans, chicken broth, vinegar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce into the onion mixture; cover and let simmer until the flavors combine, 10 to 15 minutes. Add more chicken broth if you would like the beans to be more soupy.