- If ever there was a vegetarian soup recipe
that is both humble and dazzling,
it's this black bean soup.
Now it's humble because it's made from pantry staples
like black beans and broth that are relatively cheap
and budget friendly.
And it's dazzling because it's loaded with veggies
and spices that give it this incredibly layered flavor
with kicks of spice and earthiness.
When my mom was visiting me last week,
I reheated some leftovers of this super recipe for her
but I didn't jij it up with all of the toppings
so I don't think she was overly impressed.
But then she took a bite of it
and she said, "Holy smokes, this is amazing
and it's so much better than I thought it was gonna be."
And I think that's the reaction
that you guys are gonna have as well.
So let me show you how to make it.
To get started,
you'll create a mirror pot base for the soup,
which includes one red onion, two ribs of celery
and one carrot
and you'll just dice all three of those items
into equally sized pieces.
So while I'm dicing those up,
let's talk about the different variations
of black bean soup.
If you guys are big travelers like I am,
you might have had black bean soup before
either in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico
or other spots in the Caribbean or Latin America.
It's a staple recipe in many countries
though you'll often find slight tweaks
to the flavor and texture.
Meaning some black bean soups are spicier than others
and some are fully blended and creamy
while others are chunky.
And where does my black beans super recipe fall
on that continuum?
Well, I'd say it's probably somewhere in the middle.
It has a good amount of flavorful spice
but it's not hot spicy.
And I blend a small portion of the soup
for a mix of both creamy and chunky textures.
But this is one of those soup recipes
that after you've made it a few times,
I'm sure you'll start tweaking it to your liking.
So after the mirror pot base is done,
you'll then de-seed and dice one jalapeno pepper.
You can use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds.
I sort of just shimmy it down the inside of each half.
Then slice and dice the jalapeno up
because this pepper wolf saute along with the other veggies,
it actually has a fairly soft and muted flavor at the end.
So honestly, don't worry about it being too spicy.
But if you'd like a more powerful spice flavor,
you could always swap this with serrano peppers
and even add a second one if you'd like.
And the last veggie to prep is garlic.
I've got four good sized garlic cloves today
which makes me happy as I love garlic.
But if yours are on the small side
feel free to add another one or two.
So just give those a bash with your knife,
remove their outer skins
and then take the garlic along with the chopped veggies
over to the stove.
Now here's the main ingredient in this soup, black beans.
I'm using three cans of black beans today
but you could also use dried and cooked black beans.
It's up to you
if you're using canned black beans as I'm doing,
just make sure to fully rinse them in a fine mesh sieve
or colander until the water runs clear on the other side.
And once the water has stopped dripping from the bottom
set them down by the stove as well.
To cook the black bean soup,
add two tablespoons of olive oil
to a large pot over medium high heat.
Dump in your bowl
that has the onion, carrot, celery and jalapeno pepper
and then a saute that for four to five minutes,
stirring it frequently until the veggies have softened.
Add the garlic to the pot
by mincing it straight on top
and add your dried spices
which includes two teaspoons of cumin,
one teaspoon of dried oregano,
one teaspoon of ground coriander,
one teaspoon of kosher salt
and a little dash or pinch of cayenne pepper
for just a little extra kick of spice.
And then stir all of that together
until the garlic and spices are toasted and fragrant.
Toasting the spices like this
before adding the liquid to the pot maximizes their flavor
because the dry heat helps to release the spice's oils
and that results in a final soup
that is bolder and more complex in flavor.
All right, onto the beans.
Add the rinsed and drained beans to the pot
along with three cups of vegetable broth.
You could also use chicken broth
if you're not trying to keep this vegetarian or vegan.
And I prefer low sodium broths as well
so that I can better control the sodium content.
Give that a stir, bring it to a boil,
then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot
and let it simmer for 15 minutes
so that all of those delicious flavors and spices
can meld together.
Now at this point, you have a couple of options
on how to make this soup creamy or creamier.
You can take one to two cups of the soup
by just scooping out this amount
and then adding it to your blender
and then blending it up for a minute or so
until it's smooth and creamy.
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I know it looks a bit like sledge here
but you have to believe me when I tell you
it is the tastiest sledge you've ever had
and that little bit of blended soup gives you a creamy base
but still retains the texture and body within the soup.
Another alternative is to use an immersion blender
to spot blend a few times
to create a mix of creamy and chunky textures.
Or if you prefer a smoother, more uniformly looking soup,
you can keep blending for as long as you'd like.
My soup is definitely more
on the smooth and creamy side today
after showing you both methods, but that's just fine.
This is actually how I like it.
Now, there's one last ingredient that's essential
for this black bean soup
and that's one to two tablespoons of fresh lime juice.
I prefer a little more lime juice
as I really love how the acid from the lime
adds a punch of brightness to the soup.
So stir that in and then you're ready to serve it up
or meal prep it into individual containers
and I'll show you both options right now.
If you're meal prepping the soup
you can add a portion to glass jars
or silicone super cubes containers.
Just remember to leave some space at the top for expansion
as the soup freezes.
And each serving of the soup is about two cups in size
with four servings in this recipe.
So if I'm just making this for myself,
I'll make the whole recipe.
I usually eat one portion right away.
Place one portion in the fridge for later in the week
and then freeze two portions for some time in the future.
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But back to the portion that I'm going to enjoy today.
Because after smelling all of these delicious spices
and flavors for the last 20 minutes,
I can't not eat a serving.
So after you ladle a serving into a bowl,
you can then add your favorite toppings
like a dollop of sour cream, or if you wanna keep it vegan,
just add a sprinkle of chopped red onion, fresh cilantro
and even some avocado slices if you have them.
Like I said at the beginning,
this humble yet dazzling black bean soup recipe
will pleasantly surprise you
and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of it
on social media.
I always love to see your photos of my recipes.
If you like today's recipe, please do give it a thumbs up
as that helps to support my channel.
Share the recipe with your fellow soup lovers
and I will see you again in the next video.
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