Black Bean Soup
I love treating Black Bean Soup almost like a chicken tortilla soup with all of the yummy toppings. I’m talking, cheese, avocado, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño slices, radish, scallions, sour cream, lime, and tortilla chips. This is a quick and easy soup that comes together without much effort—making it perfect for a weeknight dinner. I sauté some smoked sausage to add to the soup, but honestly you can totally make this vegetarian by omitting it altogether and using vegetable broth instead of chicken.
This black bean soup is also great to make ahead and keep in the fridge for the week. It gets better the longer it sits, which is always a plus for meal prep. I always like to whip this soup out on a cold rainy night when I’m too tired to cook something extravagant. I can’t recommend it enough!
Black Bean Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 14 ounces smoked sausage (such as Andouille) chopped
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 small jalapeño seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
- 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans do not drain
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Optional toppings:
- Sour cream
- Jalapeño sliced
- Red onion diced
- Shredded cheese
- Radish sliced
- Cilantro
- Scallions sliced
- Avocado sliced
- Lime wedges
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven over moderate heat. Drizzle in the oil and once hot, add the diced sausage. Cook until crispy and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add in the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, oregano, paprika, coriander, bay leaves, salt and pepper and cook for another minute or so to bloom the spices. Deglaze the pan with the sherry cooking wine and then add in 3 cans of beans with their juices and the broth. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover, remove and discard the bay leaves, and then carefully blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Then drain the remaining can of black beans and add it to the soup along with the browned sausage from earlier. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve in bowls with your desired toppings and enjoy!
