I have made low and slow black bean soups in the past. The ham hock, the soaking the beans, etc. tastes all well and good. But, this is super simple and flavorful. Doubling the recipe for a large group would be quite easy as well. These winter months, as I noted in the meatball tortellini soup, are unusually cold here in St. Louis. The high is normally 43, and we barely hit 10 degrees some days with the windchill generally in the negatives.
Why I love this recipe:
1. It is vegan, gluten free, low fat, and high fiber.
2. It’s fast – 20 minutes.
3. It’s cheap – less than $4 to make 6 servings.
4. It is versatile. Add the soup on top of rice, add cilantro or cheese or avocado, or reduce the mixture a little longer and use it as a burrito filling.
5. You can freeze the soup.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 (15-oz) cans black beans (do not drain)
- 1 cup chicken broth (Omit if making a burrito filling)
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa (I used Trader Joe's chunky salsa)
- 2 Tb. lime juice
- Sour cream, greek yogurt, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add olive oil to a medium pot. Heat for 2-3 minutes or the oil starts to shimmer.
- Add onion. Turn heat down to medium heat and saute until translucent - about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cumin. Cook 30 seconds.
- Add in the black beans, chicken broth and salsa. Simmer 20 minutes.
- Add lime juice. Stir and eat!
Recipe adapted from “Cooking with Trader Joe’s”
This is fairly similar to my go-to black bean soup…except i always puree in some spinach. This time I added pumpkin too. Delish!