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black bean soup

Black Bean Soup Hearty Healthy and Budget Friendly

Black bean soup presents vegetarian dinner recipes, quick and tasty. Try it now!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Soups
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat your olive oil in a large pot over medium heat for about one minute until it shimmers slightly. Add your diced onion and cook it for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften and turn translucent at the edges. Don't walk away during this step — I learned that the hard way when I burned my first batch because I got distracted for five minutes!
  2. Toss in your minced garlic, carrots, and celery stalks into the pot with the onions. Stir everything together and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant and the carrots start to soften just a tiny bit. Keep the heat at medium so nothing burns on the bottom of the pot.
  3. Sprinkle the ground cumin and smoked paprika over your vegetable mixture and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. This blooms the spices and makes them way more flavorful than if you just dump them in with the broth. Trust me on this — it makes a real difference.
  4. Pour in your low-sodium vegetable broth and add the bay leaf, then bring everything to a gentle boil. Once it's bubbling, reduce your heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes so the vegetables get nice and tender. You'll hear it sizzle down as the liquid reduces slightly.
  5. Add both cans of drained and rinsed black beans to your pot, stirring them in gently. Let the whole black bean soup recipe simmer together for another 15 minutes on medium-low heat, which gives the beans time to warm through and absorb all those delicious flavors. Don't crank the heat too high or the beans will break apart into mush.
  6. Remove the bay leaf with a spoon and discard it — this is important because nobody wants to bite into one. Stir in your fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper, tasting as you go to make sure the seasoning is just right for your preferences.
  7. If your soup looks too thick, add a splash more broth or water to reach your desired consistency — I like mine pretty hearty but not sticky. Ladle it into bowls and serve hot, maybe with a dollop of sour cream or some crispy tortilla strips on top if you're feeling fancy.