Description
This Perfect Black Bean Soup is a flavorful, easy-to-make dish that combines hearty black beans with aromatic spices and fresh vegetables. It can be served brothy or blended for a creamy texture, making it versatile for different preferences. Using vegetable broth keeps it vegetarian-friendly, but chicken stock works well too. Ideal for a comforting meal, this soup is packed with robust flavors from chipotles, cumin, and lime juice.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed or 6 cups cooked black beans
- 1 to 3 canned chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 large onion)
- 3/4 cup diced carrots (about 1 large carrot)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 to 4 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lime juice
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 4 cups (946 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
For Serving
- Avocado slices
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
- Grated cheese
Instructions
- Prepare chipotles: Open the can of chipotles and adobo sauce. Remove one or more peppers depending on your spice preference, and mince them finely along with 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce.
- Sauté vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften slightly and become fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add aromatics: Stir in the minced garlic, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Cook for about 30 seconds to release their flavors.
- Add liquids and beans: Pour in the red wine vinegar or lime juice, minced chipotles with adobo sauce, canned diced tomatoes (with juices), vegetable broth, drained black beans, and add the bay leaf.
- Simmer soup: Bring the mixture to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer gently until the carrots are tender and the broth reduces slightly, approximately 20 minutes.
- Add fresh herbs: Stir in the chopped cilantro leaves and juice from half a lime (or an additional tablespoon of vinegar as a substitute).
- Serve brothy: For a lighter, brothy soup, serve immediately as is.
- Make creamy (optional): For a thicker, velvety soup, transfer about 1/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended portion back into the pot, stir gently, and then serve.
Notes
- You can adjust the number of chipotles to control the spiciness of the soup.
- Vegetable broth keeps the soup vegetarian; chicken stock can be used for a non-vegetarian option.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes add a smoky depth to the flavor.
- Blending part of the soup makes it creamy without losing the chunky texture entirely.
- Garnish with avocado, lime wedges, sour cream, or cheese for added richness.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
