BLACK BEAN SOUP (in under 30 minutes)

How about perfectly creamy black bean soup in short order.  When you make this on a Tuesday night after a long day of work, you'll be so glad you had this recipe in your back pocket.  It's vegetarian & easily vegan as well.  Dig in.

GATHERING ALL THE INGREDIENTS HELPS TO MAKE THIS SOUP A QUICK FIX

Everyone needs a really good black bean soup recipe in their back pocket.  It really can’t get much easier than this one and many of the ingredients are simple pantry pulls.


This recipe is an adaptation of a black bean sauce that I made to go with grilled chicken.  The sauce was so good that I wanted an entire bowl of it, so this satisfying soup was born.


Everything gets blitzed at the end so you don’t really need to spend a lot of time making sure your veggies are all equal sized.  Cutting them smaller does reduce the cooking time, but you don’t have to fuss over your knife skills.

THESE PEPITAS ARE CRAVE WORTHY. MAKE SOME EXTRA FOR SNACKING

Do take the extra couple of minutes to make the chili toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to sprinkle on top.  The crunch is quite satisfying.  Alternatively you can certainly buy roasted pepitas as an easy shortcut.  No judgement here.


Serve the soup topped with Crema, Chili Toasted Pepitas, Avocado slices and a squeeze of lime.  Stunning and delicious.

An immersion blender makes quick work to smooth soups.

I'm I'm not using an iron skillet, I'm all about my T-fal non stick skillets.

My Mueller Dutch oven is perfect for soups, stews & much more.  Great quality at a budget friendly price.

Easy Black Bean Soup (in under 30 minutes)
With Chili Toasted Pepitas



1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup carrot that has been shredded or diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno or fresno chili, deseeded and chopped
2 cans black beans (I like Organic Eden Brand)
2 cups vegetable stock. (You can use chicken stock if desired)
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Course sea salt (about 1 teaspoon) 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper




In a medium saucepan or dutch oven saute onion and red bell pepper in olive oil over medium heat  Add salt to help the vegetables sweat down.   Add the jalapeno.  Cook until they’re just translucent then add the remaining ingredients.  


Cover and cook about 15 minutes until the veggies have lost their crunch and the soup is just simmering away.  If the soup begins to boil too vigorously, turn the heat down to low for the remaining cook time.


Use an immersion/stick blender to blitz until the soup is a beautiful creamy consistency.  You can also leave bit of bean and veg if you want a more rustic soup.  I blended mine to the point where there were still little flecks of bean visible.    You can also use a blender for this but use caution and do this in at least 2 batches.


Top with Crema, Chili Toasted Pepitas, Avocado slices and a squeeze of lime.  Stunning and delicious.




Chili Toasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)


1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Course sea salt


Melt butter in a small skillet over medium low heat and stir in the chili powder.  Sir in the pepitas and a pinch of salt and toast gently just until pepitas start to pop and turn golden.  Immediately remove from the heat and let them cool.


Accompaniments

Avocado
Lime
Crema, sour cream or Greek yogurt
Chili toasted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Crispy Tortilla strips