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Black bean soup is hearty, fiber rich and full of flavor. It’s easy to make from common pantry and refrigerated ingredients such as canned black beans, aromatic vegetables and spices.
We enjoy this soup year round but it is especially satisfying on a cold day. I use a hand immersion blender to break down the beans as we enjoy a smooth and creamy soup with just a few chunks here and there. For those who prefer a chunkier soup, just do a few pulses with the immersion blender.
A bowl of black bean soup can be served for lunch or dinner. The soup can be topped with any combination of cheddar cheese, light sour cream, chopped onions, avocado, crispy tortilla strips – the possibilities are endless.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Unsalted chicken or vegetable broth – I used chicken broth.
- Canned black beans – I used Trader Joe’s black beans as they have a really low sodium content in comparison to other brands.
- Canned green chilies
- Onion
- Bell pepper – I used an orange one.
- Celery
- Garlic
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- Lime juice
- Olive Oil
Making the Soup
- Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery and mince the garlic.
- Sauté the veggies in olive oil until they are tender. Add the minced garlic and spices and sauté for another min.
- Add the broth to the pot. Add the pepper and salt to taste. Your taste buds are your friend. Cook on medium heat and bring the soup to a boil.
- In the meantime, drain and rinse the black beans and add to the pot along with the green chilies. Use a hand immersion blender to breakdown the beans and vegetables. For a chunkier soup, blend less and for a smoother soup, blend more.
- Add the lime juice and then lower the heat and continue to cook for another 10. min.
- Ladle up a bowlful, garnish with toppings of your choice and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.
Serving Ideas
- A bowl of black bean soup can be garnished with a variety of toppings such as cheddar cheese, chopped onions, light sour cream, crispy tortilla strips or tortilla chips, avocado slices – pick a few of your favorites.
- A crusty roll or a warmed tortilla served along with a bowl of this soup makes a nice dinner.
- On game day, serve a pot of this soup along with a buffet of toppings, tortilla, bread sticks and corn bread and let people customize their bowl of soup.
WW – 1 pt per serving; 5 pt for entire recipe; garnishes not included
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 223kcal
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef knife
- hand held immersion blender
- dutch oven or similar sized pot
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 32 oz Swanson unsalted chicken broth
- 3 15 oz cans of black beans, Trader Joe's
- 1 small can green chilies, El Paso
- 1 medium bell pepper, orange
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large stalk of celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1¼ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery. Peel and mince the garlic cloves and set it aside.
- Sauté the onion , bell pepper and celery in the olive oil until it is tender.
- Next add the cumin, coriander, chili powder and minced garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 sec to 1 min until the spices and garlic become aromatic.
- Immediately add the broth to the pot. Add the black pepper and salt to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the salt to suit your taste. I ended up adding ½ tsp salt. Cook the soup on medium heat and bring it to a boil.
- In the meantime, open the cans of black beans and drain and rinse them. Add them to the pot along with the can of green chilies. Turn the heat down to low. Use a hand immersion blender to breakdown the beans and vegetables. For a chunkier soup, blend less and for a smoother soup, blend more.
- Add the lime juice to the pot and taste again. Add more lime juice if you wish and make a final adjustment to the salt level if needed. Continue to cook on low for another 10-15 min. You are looking for the soup to be uniformly hot.
- Ladle up a bowl of soup and garnish with your favorite toppings if you wish. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
You can further reduce the sodium in this recipe by cooking dried black beans and adding no salt.
Trader Joe's organic black beans have the lowest sodium content that I have found to date at 140 mg sodium per 1/2 c.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.5g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 1.6g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 512mg | Fiber: 7.7g | Sugar: 1.8g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
