Easy Black Bean Soup

Easy Black Bean Soup

Hearty, healthy, and satisfying without a lot of fuss is this Black Bean Soup. It comes together with simple pantry ingredients and stretches throughout the week, perfect for quick, nourishing meals. 

This Black Bean Soup recipe is warm and earthy, thanks to the spices, with a slightly creamy consistency. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens everything up, and the leftovers taste even better the next day.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrot, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder (or smoked paprika, or both)
½ teaspoon salt, more to taste.
3 x 14-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed (4 ½ cups) see notes
3 cups veggie broth
1 lime ( 1-2 tablespoons lime juice) more to taste
Optional Garnishes: avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, hot sauce, chopped red onion or pickled onions, sour cream, or grated cheddar
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, and salt, and saute until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 1 more minute.

Simmer. Add the black beans and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup halfway. This will give it a rich, creamy consistency. You want some whole beans, so don’t blend it too smooth. Alternatively, blend half of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. Warm it up gently.

Season. Squeeze with lime juice and season with salt to taste. Feel free to amp up the heat using cayenne, ground chipotle powder, or chili flakes to taste.

Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with sliced avocado, cilantro, or any of the optional toppings.
Notes:
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Freeze up to 3 months.

If cooking dry black beans from scratch, follow this recipe. (Allow 1 1/2 hours). One pound of dry black beans yields 5 ½ cups cooked, so you’ll have a little extra. Feel free to use the flavorful bean water as the broth.