Black Bean Soup (Printer-friendly)

Rich, creamy black bean soup with warming spices and vegetables, ready in 55 minutes.

# Required Ingredients:

→ Beans & Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 medium carrot, diced
05 - 1 celery stalk, diced
06 - 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
07 - 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
08 - 4 cups vegetable broth

→ Spices & Seasoning

09 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 - Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

→ Garnishes

17 - Chopped fresh cilantro
18 - Sour cream or vegan yogurt
19 - Sliced avocado
20 - Lime wedges
21 - Diced red onion

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, cooking for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano, coriander, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Cook for 1 minute to release spice aromatics.
04 - Add black beans, diced tomatoes with juices, and vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
06 - Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup for a creamy consistency while keeping some beans and vegetables intact. Alternatively, transfer half the soup to a blender, puree until smooth, and return to the pot.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, lime wedges, or red onion as desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight dinners that taste like you spent all afternoon cooking.
  • The partial blending technique gives you that luxurious creaminess without any cream, a small trick that changes everything.
  • Black beans are impossibly forgiving, so even if you're distracted or experimenting, the soup just gets better.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing your canned beans, it removes the starchy liquid that can make the soup taste flat and overly thick.
  • The partial blending is what separates this from just heating up beans in broth, so please don't skip it no matter how tired you are.
  • Taste the soup multiple times as you cook, especially after blending, because flavors shift and deepen in ways you can't predict.
03 -
  • If your soup tastes flat after blending, it usually means it needs more salt—add it in small pinches and taste between additions, because salt brings all the buried flavors forward.
  • Keep the heat gentle once the soup is simmering, aggressive boiling will make it taste sharp and tired rather than warm and inviting.
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