Quick & Easy Black Bean Soup
Cold days call for big bowls of soup. All the better if that soup has a little kick. Like this quick and easy Black Bean Soup. Plus, this soup comes together in a hurry, so it’s perfect for a weeknight.
Why You’ll Love It:
Quick and easy black bean soup starts with canned beans. There’s no complicated soaking or planning ahead. All you have to do to make this soup is open some cans and give the beans a rinse.
Black bean soup is a hearty dinner packed with protein and fiber and makes a filling meal.
It’s also easy to customize this black bean soup. You can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes if you don’t like your food quite so spicy. Or, you can add more if you like things a little hotter. I usually serve this soup with a side of hot sauce, because I have one child who love spicy foods (and another who can’t stand the heat).
The toppings are endless . . . You can add cilantro, sour cream, cheese (everything is better with cheese), tortilla chips, salsa, more fresh veggies. It’s easy to make this black bean soup your new favorite recipe.
How to Make Black Bean Soup:
You need about 35-45 minutes to whip up a batch of this delicious black bean soup. But the good news is, most of that time is hands-off. You just have to keep half an eye on the stove.
Start by chopping up your veggies. I like to dice my onion, pepper, and carrots into small pieces so the veggies cook faster. In fact, I often substitute shredded carrots for carrot chips because they cook so quickly.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, red pepper, and carrots. (If you substitute shredded carrots, about them about six minutes after the other veggies.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Watch the pot. Garlic burns quickly.
Add 4 cans of drained and rinsed black beans and the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Then, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
Do this next step carefully. Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, vent the lid and place a towel over the top, and blend until smooth. Do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line or you will have a mess. Also, beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender is very hot (that’s why we don’t cover the blender, it will cause the lid to blow off). You can also use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup. This is less dangerous, but DO NOT use an immersion blender in a non-stick pot.
Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in lime juice and add salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with diced avocados, cilantro, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream,. etc . . .
Enjoy!
Black bean soup is an easy week night dinner perfect for a snowy day. There’s just something about enjoying a big bowl of spicy food that’s comforting and warming.
Add some tortilla chips and homemade guacamole for a fun, satisfying Mexican meal.
Black bean soup is also a great addition to a soup party.
And as good as this soup is on day one, it’s even better as leftovers. All the flavors really have a chance to meld together and the black bean soup gets even thicker, almost like a yummy stew. (If it’s too thick, you can add some additional vegetable broth.)
Want more delicious soup recipes? Try this easy lasagna soup. (It’s also vegetarian.)
Off we go!
Quick & Easy Black Bean Soup
Equipment
- soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- Blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large carrot shredded or diced small
- 1 red pepper diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like things
- 4 15 ounce cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 32 ounces vegetable broth I prefer low sodium
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional garnishes: diced avocado cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, Greek yogurt …
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and red pepper. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the beans and the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the broth the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, vent the lid and place a towel over the top, and blend until smooth. Do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender. It’s very hot (that’s why we don’t cover the blender, it will cause the lid to blow off). You can also use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with diced avocados, cilantro, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, etc . . .
