Sunday 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.)

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.

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.
• In hot oil (1-2 Tb.), saute carrots, onions, celery, and garlic until onions are golden.
• Add cumin and jalepenos.
• When beans are ready to cook, add ham hocks to beans along with sauted vegetables, and chicken broth and enough water to cover.
• Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until tender.
• Drain the bean mixture and reserve cooking liquid.
• Puree beans and vegetables.
• Add sherry and lime juice and enough of the reserved liquid to make a thick soup.
• Can be served with chopped corriander or sour cream or lemon slice.

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.

EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in ginger and garlic, and season with cayenne pepper, thyme, allspice, and celery salt. Pour in the broth. Mix in tomato puree, refried black beans, black pepper, and sugar. Cook and stir until heated through.
• Mix the remaining black beans and lemon juice into the soup. Continue cooking until heated through. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

EASY AND QUICK BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Stir black beans, chicken broth, orange juice, cayenne pepper, and chili powder with the vegetables in the pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.
• Ladle about half the solids into a blender. Add enough liquid so the solids are completely submerged. Hold lid in place and pulse blender a few times before leaving on to puree. Return pureed mixture to pot and stir.