Canned black beans, a trinity, and earthy spices form the layers of flavor in this spicy black bean soup. Garnished with fresh cilantro and citrus!
It’s soup season and with the holidays fast approaching, there’s nothing more welcoming than a pantry dinner that takes less than 30 minutes and tastes even better the next day.
I love a spicy black bean soup but this one is especially bright, and I think citrus really works with the cumin and chili powder. You can skip immersion blending but I think it helps create a more flavorful broth and gives the texture a heartiness that allows those garnishes to float on top (rather than sink to the bottom).
Today, I’m sharing 5 ways to maximize the potential of this simple recipe, which happens to be vegan and gluten-free. It cooks in about 20-minutes in one pot so it’s a great one to add to your family weeknight rotation.
Black Bean Soup Pro Tips
1. Sweat the vegetables until they’re done.
Let’s start with the onion, bell pepper, celery base (aka “the trinity”). What’s important here is “sweating” to release moisture and concentrate flavor. You are aiming to cook the vegetables until tender but not to develop color (color = sweet). You want to manage your heat and try not to rush the process. They’re done when they’re done.
2. Fresh ingredients are king.
For the next layer of flavor, this soup gets fresh garlic and spices which you’ll note get added after the vegetables are soft and before we add the liquid. I strongly encourage you to use fresh spices and especially freshly ground if humanly possible. Spices are the epitome of flavor when used correctly.
3. Salt at the beginning.
You want to add it in the beginning when making soup. You can always add more at the end, to taste.
4. With beans, we blend. A little bit.
It’s not just for consistency. Blending actually helps distribute the bean flavor into the liquid forming a thicker, more flavorful broth. I recommend an immersion blender for soups because it’s safer than transporting and blending hot liquid in a blender.
5. Save aromatics for last. Why we garnish.
Now for my final point. I really encourage you to serve this spicy black bean soup with some fresh herb and citrus garnishes, specifically cilantro and both lime and orange. Garnishes make soup exciting by creating aroma.
There’s nothing worse than boring soup so why not try these tips and see if you can taste the difference? Soup should be tantalizing and interesting.
BLACK BEAN SOUP INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
You need 12 ingredients to make spicy black bean soup:
- onion: white or yellow onion forms the trinity of flavors that flavor the soup. I recommend a small or medium-dice.
- bell pepper: any color bell pepper, seeds removed. Cut them roughly equal size to the onion.
- celery: you can include the leaves if you want to
- olive oil: for sweating the vegetable trinity. Avocado oil, palm oil, or refined coconut oil may be substituted.
- garlic cloves: If using pre-minced garlic, use 2 to 3 tablespoons. In this soup, you want to avoid browning the garlic, which gives food a sweet flavor that you don’t necessarily want.
- cumin powder: If you can, it’s always best to buy whole cumin seeds and grind your own fresh powder; I like to toast my cumin seeds in a dry skillet then grind for maximum flavor. I use a coffee grinder specifically for spice grinding because it only takes a few seconds.
- chili powder: Chili adds a robust spicy element and should be very fresh for the best possible flavor (use chili within 6 months of buying). You could use “chili powder” but I recommend “chipotle chili powder” which is quite spicy and smoky.
- salt: adding sea salt or Kosher salt at the beginning of cooking causes vegetables to sweat more quickly and the sugars to caramelize more. This ensures more flavor. Also, black beans really taste best when salted properly.
- black beans: You can use two 15-ounce cans of black or white beans in this recipe (use the whole can, juice and all). If you want to use dried beans: soak 1 heaping cup of dried beans overnight. Plan on 45 minutes of cook time but taste them. I’ve had to cook black beans that were old for 2 hours. If they never soften, that’s because they are too old and should be tossed rather than consumed. Please note that if you use dried beans, you will have to double the amount of water in the recipe.
- orange: This may sound odd, but the orange zest and juice really accentuate the flavor of black beans. Use any orange variety for this recipe.
- limes: Limes and black beans are flavor mates. You can use the juice of 1 lime and then chop the other lime segments and use those as a garnish for the most amazing little bursts of bright flavor.
- fresh cilantro: Finishing the soup with the delicate, unique flavor of cilantro is so refreshing and aromatic.
Step-by-Step Spicy Black Bean Soup Recipe
- Sauté the vegetables. Chop the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Warm the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Chop the garlic and add to the pot with cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir to coat the vegetables and turn off the heat to avoid burning.
- Simmer the beans. Drain and rinse the beans. Add the beans and water to the Dutch oven and scrape with a spatula to release any caramelization from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Optional: If you own an immersion blender, I love to pulse it just a few times to partially blend this soup, leaving some beans whole and creating a thicker base for the garnishes to sit on.
- Season and Serve. Season with orange zest, orange juice, and lime juice. Taste and add more salt if needed. Ladle and serve with chopped cilantro. Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note: I like to garnish with segments of orange and lime so that there are little pops of flavor.
Tool Tip: Use a microplane or the fine holes of a grater to remove the zest from the orange (avoid the pith).
More Cozy Soup Recipes For You:
- Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Vegetable Soup
- Gardener’s Delight Celery Soup
- Southwest Roasted Pumpkin Stew
- Warming Lentil Soup with Garam Masala
- Lemony Good Chicken Orzo Soup
- Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
- You can browse all the soups and stews here
This recipe appears in Easy Dutch Oven Cooking (my cookbook). I’ve made a few modifications.
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium white or yellow onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder or cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or chili powder, preferably fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans black beans (30 oz total)
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 orange
- 2 limes
- 1 oz Fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables. Chop the onion, bell pepper, and celery (trinity). Warm a pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Chop the garlic and add to the pot with the cumin, chipotle, and salt. Stir to coat the vegetables and turn off the heat to avoid burning.
- Simmer and blend the beans. Drain and rinse the beans. Add the beans and water to the pot and scrape with a spatula to release any caramelization from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the stew for about 30 seconds or transfer 2 cups to a blender and blend until smooth and add back to the pot.
- Season and serve with fresh citrus. Use a microplane or the fine holes of a grater to remove the zest from the orange. Season with orange zest, orange juice, and lime juice. Taste and add more salt if needed. Ladle and serve with chopped cilantro. Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note: I especially like to garnish with a combination of juice and chopped bits of segmented citrus so that there are little pops of flavor.
