Boulder Black Bean Soup Recipes

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.
• Add the black beans, chicken broth, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
• Purée the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender to puree the soup in batches; see note.) Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro.
• Note: If using a standard blender, purée the soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (It may thicken up a bit while in the freezer; if so, just thin it out with a bit of water or broth while reheating.)

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Pick through the beans and discard any debris - wash under cold running water. In a food processor, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.
• Set a large pot over medium heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin. Add vegetable puree and saute until just fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, jalapeno, and stock. Slightly cover and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender.
• When cooked, remove bay leaves and take out ham hock. Cut ham meat off the bone, cut into pieces and set aside.
• Using a blender or immersion blender, puree just enough of the beans and stock (about a third of the total pot) to thicken up the soup and bring everything together. Season with salt and pepper and fold ham meat back into the soup.
• Make the crema by combining sour cream and zest. Serve each soup with a spoonful of lime crema, a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro.

BOULDER BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in oregano, thyme, cumin, and pepper; cook one minute longer. Place half of beans in a blender and puree until smooth, adding chicken broth as needed to make a smooth puree. Add puree and remaning whole beans and broth to saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Serve garnished with diced tomatoes, and if desired, onion and shredded cheese.

INSTANT POT BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Set the Instant Pot® (see Cook's Note) to normal saute. Add the oil and once shimmering, but not smoking, add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, bay leaves and 7 cups water. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour.
• After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release and wait until the quick release cycle is complete. Careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid and remove the bay leaves. Then remove 1 cup of the beans with a slotted spoon and set aside. Use an immersion blender to blend the black beans with 1 tablespoon salt until thick and creamy. Stir in the reserved whole beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sliced avocado, cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, lime wedges and sour cream.

BOULDER BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in oregano, thyme, cumin, and cayenne pepper; cook one minute longer. Place half of beans in a blender and purée until smooth, adding chicken broth as needed to make a smooth purée. Add purée, remaining whole beans and broth to saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Serve garnished with diced tomatoes and, if desired, onion and shredded cheese. Fun Fact: The City of Boulder, Colorado, is in Boulder Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains, 35 miles northwest of Denver. Just west of the city are imposing rock formations of sedimentary stone along the east slope of Green Mountain, known as the Flatirons. The Flatirons are a widely recognized symbol of Boulder.

CLASSIC BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, place beans and enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Heat to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour. Drain beans; set aside.
• In 3- or 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook 3 cups onions and the bell pepper in oil 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add cumin, oregano and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add drained beans, broth and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Partially cover; simmer 1 hour 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
• In blender, place half of bean mixture. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth. Return pureed soup to remaining soup in pan. Stir in lime juice, pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Serve with cheese, finely chopped onion, sour cream and cilantro.

FAST AND DELICIOUS BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in 1 can black beans and chicken broth.
• In a blender, puree remaining can of beans until smooth. Mix into the pot. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Mix in ham, cumin, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with Cheddar cheese and sour cream to serve.

CONTEST-WINNING BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash 1 can black beans; set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion, red pepper and jalapeno in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Stir in the broth, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, hot sauce, pepper, bay leaf, mashed black beans and remaining whole beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. , Discard bay leaf. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1-1/2 teaspoons green onion.

EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Saute onion in olive oil.
• When onion becomes translucent, add cumin.
• Cook 30 seconds, then add garlic and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds.
• Add 1 can black beans and 2 cups vegetable broth.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Turn off heat.
• Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients in the pot, or transfer to a blender.
• Add the second can of beans to the pot along with blended ingredients and bring to a simmer.
• Serve soup with bowls of red onion and cilantro for garnish.
• I add a bit of cilantro to the pot, too.
• Can be doubled or frozen.

QUICK BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash 1 can black beans until smooth; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients and remaining can of beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Add mashed beans, stirring to combine. Discard bay leaf before serving.

SUNDAY BLACK-BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• To soak beans quickly, cover them with generous amount of water, cover pot, bring water to boil and boil 2 minutes. Remove cover and allow beans to sit in the liquid for one hour. Drain.
• Meanwhile, slice meaty part of bacon from fat. Discard fat.
• When beans are ready to cook, add meaty bacon to beans along with chicken stock and enough water to cover generously; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
• In hot oil, saute carrots, onions, celery, jalapeno, garlic and cumin until onions are golden. When vegetables are ready, add to pot of beans. If there is not enough water, add more. Cook beans 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until tender. Season with salt, if desired.
• Just before beans are ready, cook sausage; slice into small chunks.
• Drain the bean mixture and reserve cooking liquid. Puree beans and vegetables, using some of the reserved liquid to make a thick soup. Return to cooking pot. Stir in sherry and lime juice. Add more reserved liquid, if necessary, and reheat to serve.
• Divide sausage chunks among bowls, and spoon soup into each bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• This soup is preferably made at least one day in advance.
• Slice off and reserve the rind of the bacon. Cut the bacon into quarter-inch cubes. There should be about one and one-half cups.
• Put the bacon cubes and the rind into a heavy kettle or casserole and cook, stirring often, until rendered of fat. When ready, the bacon cubes should be well-browned and crisp.
• Add the onions, celery, carrots, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, three tablespoons of the cumin, black pepper and oregano. Stir to blend and cover the kettle or casserole closely. Cook about five minutes over moderately low heat. Do not allow the mixture to burn.
• Add the tomato paste and stir briefly. Add the chicken broth and bring to the boil.
• Rinse and drain the beans and add them to the soup. Cook, uncovered, over relatively high heat about two and one-half hours, skimming the surface occasionally to remove foam, scum and fat as it rises to the top. The soup is ready when the beans are soft and some of them have disintegrated because of the cooking heat and stirring.
• Stir in the lime juice, cayenne pepper, salt, cilantro and remaining cumin. Remove and discard the bacon rind and bay leaf.
• Ladle the soup into individual soup bowls. Serve the salsa and sour cream on the side, to be added at will. This soup is best served with jalapeno corn-bread muffins as an accompaniment.