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
