Black Bean Soup

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (1 cup) dried black beans
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 8 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves and stems (plus more for garnish)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more, to taste)
• 1 cup diced carrot (about 1 large carrot)
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• For serving: sour cream, diced onion, cilantro, lime wedges

Preparation

Sort beans, discarding any rocks, and cover with 3 cups water. Allow to soak overnight, then drain and rinse.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Saute onion and jalapeno for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown.

Add garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, and allspice and fry 30 seconds.

Add drained beans, 4 cups of water, and cilantro.

Turn heat to high and bring to boil.

Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

Check beans for doneness. You may need to cook them another 30 minutes to an hour depending on the age of the beans. If it seems dry, add another cup of water.

Once beans are cooked very soft, add salt.

Blend half the soup to a puree with an immersion blender if a creamy soup is what you want.

Add the carrot and simmer, uncovered, another 20-30 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Serve with garnishes. This can also be served over rice for a heartier meal.

Tips

Check out my post on How to Soak Beans for tips on how to prepare this soup!