Best Comfort Black Bean Soup Recipes

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.
• Add the black beans, chicken broth, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
• Purée the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender to puree the soup in batches; see note.) Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro.
• Note: If using a standard blender, purée the soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (It may thicken up a bit while in the freezer; if so, just thin it out with a bit of water or broth while reheating.)

SPICY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, jalapenos and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and black beans with their liquid. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer about three-quarters of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Return the soup to the saucepan and season with salt. Serve topped with cilantro and sour cream.

BEST BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.
• In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.
• Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.
• Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.
• Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
• Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.
• Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.

SLOW-COOKER BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, onion, garlic, chipotle chile and sauce, cumin, bay leaves and/or oregano, and baking soda, if using. Add 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours. Taste more than one bean to ensure they're all cooked through; they should also flatten without much effort when pressed between your fingers.
• Remove and compost the bay leaves. Transfer the onion, garlic and chipotle chile to a blender or food processor, along with about 2 cups of the beans and broth. (You can purée more or less of the soup, depending on desired consistency.) Blend until smooth. Pour puréed soup back into the slow cooker, stir in the vinegar, then season to taste with salt. Eat with desired toppings.

CLASSIC BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, place beans and enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Heat to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour. Drain beans; set aside.
• In 3- or 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook 3 cups onions and the bell pepper in oil 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add cumin, oregano and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add drained beans, broth and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Partially cover; simmer 1 hour 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
• In blender, place half of bean mixture. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth. Return pureed soup to remaining soup in pan. Stir in lime juice, pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Serve with cheese, finely chopped onion, sour cream and cilantro.

COMFORT BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• For the Beans:.
• Place bean, ham, bay leaves, water and baking soda in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid.
• Bring to boil over medium-high heat; using large spoon, skim scum as it rises to surface.
• Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer briskly until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (if necessary, add additional cup of water and continue simmering until beans are tender); do not drain beans.
• Discard bay leaves.
• Remove ham steak (which has taken on a weird black bean color), cut into 1/4 inch cubes and set aside.
• For the Soup:.
• Heat oil in 8 quart dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking; add onions, carrot, celery and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic and cumin; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in beans, beans cooking liquid, chipotle chili, adobo sauce and chicken broth.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 30 minutes.
• To finish the soup: Ladle 1 1/2 cups beans and 2 cups liquid into food processor or blender; process until smooth, and return to pot.
• Stir together cornstarch and water in small bowl until combined, then gradually stir about half of the cornstarch mixture into the soup; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to fully thicken.
• If soup is still thinner than desired once boiling, stir remaining cornstarch mixture to recombine and gradually stir mixture into soup, return to boil to fully thicken.
• Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and reserved ham.
• Ladle into bowls and pass garnishes.

QUICK AND EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Place bacon in a cold pot. Turn heat to medium, cook and stir until the bacon is cooked but not crisp.
• Stir in onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and golden.
• Stir in garlic; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, turn heat to medium-high. Stir in oregano, cayenne and salt. Add black beans and water. Return to a simmer.
• Simmer on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. While it's cooking, mash about half the beans to thicken the soup.
• Stir in black pepper and cumin. Add salt to taste.
• Make the relish by stirring together minced green onion, sambal paste, and lime juice.
• Serve garnished with relish, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

CONTEST-WINNING BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash 1 can black beans; set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion, red pepper and jalapeno in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Stir in the broth, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, hot sauce, pepper, bay leaf, mashed black beans and remaining whole beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. , Discard bay leaf. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1-1/2 teaspoons green onion.