Here’s a pet peeve of mine: recipes for “easy weeknight dinners” that aren’t even close to nutritionally dense or satisfying. A pasta with tomato sauce or a leafy salad is not dinner, especially if you’re feeding a family. We need complete proteins, carbs, and vegetables in an easy, quick, and cheap package—bonus points if it doesn’t create a lot of dishes to wash. A tall order, for sure, but one that most Texans need to fill nearly every night.
So when I set out to write a recipe for black bean soup, I knew I wanted the dish to be a full meal, not just a zhuzhed-up can of beans. This soup fits the bill: There are vegetables in it (although a side salad would be a nice accompaniment), a scoop of rice on top, and optional garnishes to keep things interesting. I hope your kids like it, but it’s easy enough to customize to suit their exacting—and likely ever-changing—tastes. (I won’t be insulted if they don’t; it took me years to like beans at all.)
You can customize it by serving it with salsa; whisking in a quarter cup of cream or a couple tablespoons of pesto, chutney, or fresh goat cheese at the end; or using carrots instead of red bell peppers. This soup would be a fantastic base for serving all manner of leftovers, including barbecue, grilled meats, taco fillings, and roasted vegetables. It’s flexible, easy, and mostly made from stuff you already keep in the pantry! And it’s a whole meal, however you decide to serve it.
Black Bean Soup
Comforting, easy, and quick, this recipe is endlessly customizable, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or when you have holiday season fatigue.
Black Bean Soup
- 2 strips of bacon, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- two 15.5-ounce cans of black beans, with their liquid
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- chipotle cream (see recipe below)
- cooked white rice, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving
Chipotle Cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 chipotles in adobo
Black Bean Soup
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First, brown the bacon in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Reserve the bacon.
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Sauté the pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
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Add the cumin, coriander, and chile flakes and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add the cans of beans to the pot along with the beans’ liquid and the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for half an hour to allow the flavors to develop. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip to the next step once the mixture comes to a boil, but it won’t be quite as good.)
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Add the lemon zest and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve each portion with a scoop of cooked white rice, chipotle cream, some of the reserved bacon bits, chopped cilantro, and a wedge of lime.
Chipotle Cream
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Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, honey, and chipotles in adobo to a blender and puree until smooth.
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Drizzle over the soup when serving.
