Simple, staple, flavorful.

I was skeptical at first about this black bean soup recipe. I don’t care for black bean soup that just tastes like mushed black beans. So I was pleasantly surprised when this simple recipe came out tasting so yummy. Credit to one of my favorite food blogs—Cookie+Kate—for this vegetarian delight.

Blending the soup is optional. You can stop at step 3 and eat the soup in its chunkier version. But I think blending does some magic to release the flavor and gives a really nice texture to the broth. Sadly my immersion blender recently broke. It was a gift from a good family friend about a decade ago (thanks Mrs. Oliver!). Until I get a new one, my bullet blender worked just fine for this soup.

Also I cooked this recipe in a medium sized pot and didn’t measure the amount of broth I added. I just ladled in my homemade broth until the pot was full… guessing about 2-3 cups. If you bought a quart of broth and want to add the whole thing, I would recommend adding another small can of black beans or some extra vegetables to keep the consistency.

I really liked how light the soup came out, but it was still filling. If you’re looking for a heartier meal, I think this would do well served over rice.

*yields about 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

• 1 medium red pepper, chopped

• 1 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

• 4 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 large can (28 ounces) black beans, drained

• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes,

• 4 cups vegetable broth, or as much as will fit in your pot.

• 1 lime

• Fresh cilantro (optional)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, tortilla chips, rice…

Directions

1. Chop vegetables: Chop onion, carrot, and red pepper. Mince garlic.

2. Sauté vegetables: Heat olive oil in a medium or large soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add red peppers and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Cook soup: Pour in the beans, tomatoes, and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer until the broth is flavorful and the beans are tender, about 30 minutes.

4. Blend: Use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup. If using regular blender. Transfer about 1-2 cups of the soup to a blender and let cool for a few minutes; blend until smooth (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware of steam that escapes from hot foods).

5. Finish and serve: Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste.