I am very picky about black bean soup.
I mean, really picky.
If a soup is going to have a bland (albeit, fiberful) magical fruit as its main ingredient, it had better have some rockin’ good flavors to go along with it. And of course, all the better when it’s a little on the spicy side too!
So of course, I’m here to announce that I think I finally have my own favorite recipe tweaked and ready to share with le blogosphere. If I do say so myself, I think it’s a good one. Like, I-might-have-gone-back-for-thirds-“good”. :)
But to those of you who get a little anxious about the word “spicy” even being in the title, have no fear. You can easily add in the jalapeno and cayenne gradually to taste. But for those of you who like a little kick, this one will bring it. And, it can also happily be made vegetarian or vegan.
Definitely a keeper!
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- half a jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chipotle powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- optional garnish: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped bell peppers, shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips, diced avocados
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper, carrot, garlic and jalapeno, and continue cooking another 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add remaining eight ingredients (chicken broth through cayenne), and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let soup simmer for at least 10 minutes.
- You can either serve this soup as is, or use an immersion blender or a traditional blender (blending in small batches) to puree the soup. Serve warm, and garnish with suggested ingredients if desired.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Very good for me it is a must to blend it all. Also it could be less spicy for me so next time i may skip the jalapeno and cayenne. Nevertheless, based on title it has right amount of spiciness. I also added some smoked paprika and served it with white rice.
Made this today and it was absolutely delicious!!! After reading the reviews I decided to double the recipe and so happy that I did!!!
I’m wanting to make this for dinner soon, looks delish…but had a question – did you drain and/or rinse the black beans before adding them to the mix???
Actually, if there are no added ingredients in the can besides beans and water, I usually just add the liquid. But you can rinse/drain them and add an extra 1/4 cup water if you’d rather.
My husband is not a soup guy. However, he loves this one. I’m making it again for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing!
made this tonight! was so delicious! i even doubled the recipe in hopes to have some left to portion and freeze! not the case! a family member took some home and we have enough for my husband or myself to have for lunch/dinner tomorrow. so so so good!
Made this tonight!!! Beyond delicious. Perfect balance of flavors- so much depth of flavor. Thank you for the recipe!
My son, an honest to God chef, asked me to make him a spicy soup because he has a horrible cold. This soup was perfect. You know when you are on to something good when a chef says keep the recipe mom. Perfect for a night with freezing temps and howling winds.
Finally!!! I absolutely LOVE spicy black bean soup but never could find a recipe which I liked….until I discovered your site. Made this today and AWESOME wonderful flavor & texture and the perfect amount of spice. Thank you for sharing!
Bliss….
I just made this soup and boy is it ever good. Such great flavor. I didn’t have the chipotle powder or a jalapeno but it was still plenty spicy. Garnished with a dalope of plain Greek yogurt. I will definitely be making this again.
Just tried this today and its amazing Love it :-) :-)