Spicy Black Bean Soup

So remember when, in a slightly less than stellar state, I told you guys about fabulous tandoori chicken? What I didn’t tell you about that night is that I also spent some not-so-quality time in the kitchen, bumbling around making soup.

My coworker often has canned beans for lunch. She drains them and microwaves them and then douses them with hot sauce and the occasional garlic powder packet in what might be the weirdest variation of black bean soup I’ve ever seen.

Inspired by her um, innovation, I decided I needed to make real black bean soup one day. It’s one of my faves, especially when spiked with cumin and a heavy hit of jalapeños. This recipe, from Epicurious, has plenty of both. After buying all of the ingredients in an excited frenzy the same day I made this, I promptly forgot all about it.

So um, two weeks later, when I noticed a not-so-hot-looking jalapeño in the fridge, I finally made soup. Thankfully the recipe was literally foolproof, as I could barely cut an onion on Sunday night. The only problem was that it called for using the cans undrained, which I refused to do. (Bean sludge in my soup? No thank you.) Also our kitchen light was out, so I was cooking in relative darkness. And I had to use a stick blender. As you can imagine, it was quite an adventure.*

The soup was well worth the (considerable, given my state) effort. Hearty and spicy and full of flavor, it definitely hit the spot. It’s definitely my favorite way to consume canned beans.

*Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the process, since there was no light and also, I was just barely a functional human.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños (with seeds), diced (seed them before dicing for a milder soup)
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

Cook Mode

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions, green chilies, garlic, jalapeños, chili powder and cumin. Saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the beans and the chicken broth. Bring soup to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Using a stick blender, puree the soup lightly so that it is slightly chunky. (Alternately, you can pour half of the soup into a blender, puree slightly and return to the pot. Make sure to use a towel over top the blender to make sure the soup doesn’t splash up on you.)
4. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes, then top with sour cream, chopped cilantro or tortilla chips and serve.

Notes

Adapted from Epicurious

• Author: Ishita S.