I love black bean soup – it’s nutritious, hearty, and has a bit of a zing. The ingredient list is long, but once you have everything ready, it’s not too difficult to make the soup.

Here’s what you’ll need:

– 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

– 1 large red onion (chopped)

– 3 ribs celery with greens (chopped)

– 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed with a press)

– 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and chopped)

– 1 fresh bay leaf or 1 large dried bay leaf

– 1 red bell pepper (seeded and chopped)

– 3 cups of cooked black beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans

– 2 Tbsp ground cumin

– 1 ½ tsp ground coriander

– 2 to 3 Tbsp 2 hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot or similar)

– 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

– 3 juicy/soft tomatoes (chopped)

– ½ lemon or lime

– Cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Here’s what to do:

Heat a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then onion, celery, garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaf. Cook 3-4min, then add red pepper and continue to cook. Add beans and stir. Season with cumin, coriander, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15min over low heat. Squeeze half a lemon/lime and add the cilantro and/or parsley. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Makes 3-5 servings.

*Photo by Marco Verch according to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode