The Best Black Bean Soup Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
205 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup
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Cuisine
American
The Best Black Bean Soup Recipe
Description
This soup begins by gently cooking onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in olive oil before adding tequila or broth, beans, green chiles, and seasonings. When using dried beans, they are soaked overnight and simmered for 1 to 1.5 hours until tender; canned beans require a shorter simmer. The soup combines robust flavors from cumin, oregano, and lime juice with the richness of beans, while cilantro adds freshness.
Serve the soup hot with optional toppings including sour cream or a smoky chipotle crema made from Mexican crema and chipotle chiles, avocado, cotija cheese, cheddar, onions, and tortilla chips for varied textures and flavors. This meal is satisfying and adaptable to taste preferences.
When cooking with dried beans, salt should be added only after the beans are fully tender to avoid toughening. The liquid from canned beans can be used to preserve flavor rather than discarded. Broth can replace tequila if preferred, and additional broth may be added if the soup is too thick.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 pound black beans dried or three (15.5-ounce) cans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion large or med onion, chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup tequila (sub with broth)
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 ounces diced green chiles mild or hot, canned
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped plus more for garnish
- lime juice about 2 tablespoons or to taste, juice of ½ lime
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- sour cream or Chipotle crema (recipe below
- tortilla chips slices, chopped
- avocado
- cotija cheese
- cilantro
- onion
- cheddar cheese
Chipotle Crema
- ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1-2 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce seeded and finely chopped with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
- If using dried beans, pick to remove any stones or debris. Put them in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain well. Give them a rinse with cold water and drain once again.
- In a heavy pot (6 Qt or larger) or Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic cloves and cook stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Next, add the tequila (if using) and cook for a few minutes or until almost all the tequila has evaporated. If using broth, skip this step. Add the beans, stock, diced green chiles, cumin and oregano and bring to a boil.
Dried Beans Cooking Instructions
- If using dried beans, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender and cooked through.
Canned Beans Instructions
- If using canned beans, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
After the beans are tender:
- Remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender blend the soup to your desire texture and consistency. I like leaving some beans whole for a rustic chunky texture). You can also use a blender or food processor. Simply transfer some or all the soup to a blender and process until you reach your desire texture and consistency. Then, return the soup to the pot.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro (or more to taste), and the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat.
- Ladle into soup bowls and top with your favorite toppings. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.
To Make the Chipotle Crema
- Whisk together all the ingredients. This can be made 3-4 days in advance. Keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Do not add salt to dried beans until they are tender to ensure softness.
- Use the liquid from canned beans in the soup to retain flavor and richness.
- Add more broth if the soup becomes too thick instead of water, which dilutes flavor.
- Soak dried beans at least 8 hours or overnight, rinse well before cooking.
- Tequila can be substituted with mezcal, white wine, bourbon, or broth for different flavor profiles.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 205 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 205kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 8% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 10mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 681mg | 28% |
| Potassium | 369mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 7g | 28% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 2180IU | 44% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 58mg | 6% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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