Black Bean Soup

In winter, soups are sort of a staple in my home.  I love how warm and comforting they are on a cold day.  My mom is the one that introduced me to this particular soup.  She says it is her favorite soup of all time!  I think it is pretty darn great, too!  It is a healthy soup and jam packed with amazing flavor.

BLACK BEAN SOUP
recipe from: Martha Stewart

1 pound dried black beans, picked over, soaked overnight, and drained (Instead of soaking dried beans overnight, cover them with cold water by 2 inches in a pot; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 1 hour)
2 large yellow onions, diced small
2 jalapenos, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
Diced avocado, diced onion, cilantro, low-fat plain yogurt, and tortilla strips, for serving (optional)

In a medium saucepan, cover beans with cold water by 2 inches. Add one quarter each of onions and jalapenos and bring to a boil over high. Reduce to a rapid simmer; cook until beans are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and remaining onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and golden brown, 10 minutes. Stir in remaining jalapenos, cumin, beans and their cooking liquid, and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are soft, 20 minutes (if necessary, add up to 1 cup water to keep beans covered).
Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender and add cornstarch. Puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, top with avocado, diced onion, cilantro, yogurt, and tortilla strips if desired.

*Freeze leftover soup, up to 1 month.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #chefintraining and/or #chefintrainingblog. I would love to see how these recipes take shape in your kitchens.

Filed under: beans, dinner, lunch, soup

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe

Comments

  1. Carla

    I know some people think black beans look scary, but if they would just try them they would be hooked. They are seriously the best! Black bean soup is my favorite! Thanks for the recipe!

  2. Courtney

    This looks delicious! My favorite soup ever is the black bean soup at Panera, and this could be the perfect make-at-home substitute! Really quick, when do you add the beans that you refrigerated?

  3. Verlan

    Looks delicious, but I also wondered why you refrigerate some of the beans and when you add them in. Will wait for an answer before trying the recipe.

  4. Chef in Training

    Sorry Verlan, that was a typo on my part! you don't need to refrigerate them.

  5. Chef in Training

    sorry courtney. That was a typo on the recipe. On the original recipe she reserved some for another recipe and that is why. I fixed it. You can just keep that portion in the soup and it still tastes great!

  6. Annie

    Looks great, your picture is tantalizing! It is snowing today,this sounds wonderful! I think I will substitute canned beans for the home made ones. I am in a hurry to eat this!

  7. Amber - Binkertation

    Oh yum - Black bean soup is one of my absolute faves!!! I especially love putting slices of lemon in mine while it cooks and then removing them just before serving - adds some awesomely intense flavor!

  8. peanutbutterandpeppers.com

    I used to hate black beans, I mean hate, blah! I don't know what it was, my guess was the color but now I love them, I don't know what changed, but I eat them all the time! Then you show this soup, hope Hubby likes it because I'm making it! I love that you added jalapenos! Oh I'm excited over this soup!

  9. peanutbutterandpeppers.com

    Question: can you make these with canned beans? I want to make this recipe, but I don't want to do the raw beans. Thanks!