Black bean soup is a healthy, filling, light lunch or side dish.
I first tried black bean soup as an appetizer in a restaurant. Although I wasn’t concerned whether I would like it, as I love black beans, I was curious about what to expect. The soup was very flavorful, a little spicy, and I have wanted to recreate it ever since.
This recipe has the flavors and textures I was looking for. If you are imagining black bean soup as essentially puréed black beans, this isn’t the case. The vegetables and spices give it great depth of flavor.
Ingredients
Olive Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables.
Onion, Celery, and Bell Peppers: This mix of vegetables adds great flavor and texture to the soup.
Garlic: Enhances the flavor.
Cumin, Chili Powder: This soup has a definite Tex-Mex feel with these classic spices.
Red Pepper Flakes: The red pepper flakes are the source of heat in the soup.
Canned Black Beans: Using canned beans makes this recipe quick and easy. I like to find the no-sodium varieties to control the amount of salt.
Low Sodium Chicken Stock: I always have low-sodium chicken stock on hand and use it for everything. This recipe can be made vegetarian-friendly by using vegetable stock.
Cilantro: This can certainly be omitted if you are adverse to the flavor. I like the fresh, bright flavor cilantro adds to the soup.
Lime Juice: Adds a great, bright, fresh flavor.
Salt & Pepper: Add to taste.
Avocado: Sliced avocado is an optional touch to serve with the soup.
Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, celery, and peppers. Stir in the garlic and the spices. Add the canned beans and stock and stir. Then simmer until the beans are very tender. The canned beans are already cooked, but simmering makes them even softer and easier to purée.
Purée all or a portion of the soup until smooth. I like the soup a bit chunky.
Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro. Black bean soup isn’t the prettiest soup. Fresh green cilantro makes it appealing. Sliced avocado is also delicious.
Black bean soup with chicken and veggie quesadillas that we made in the air fryer. The quesadillas were a bit of an experiment. We were pleased with how they turned out.
I made soup along with a version of my tuna melt sandwiches for an easy weekend lunch.
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 celery rib finely chopped
- ½ cup ripe bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tsp lime juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- fresh cilantro chopped
- sliced avocado for serving.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and stock and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook over medium heat, until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend all or a portion of the soup, depending on your texture preference. I blended all the soup, but left it a little chunky.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in lime juice, salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chopped cilantro and sliced avocado, if desired.