Every time I make this Black Bean Soup I think of this clip from Ratatouille. And it’s not because of any filthy vermin sticking their nasty paws into my soup (was anyone else grossed out by that?) It’s because of Anton Ego’s childhood flashback. I love the way his eyes get huge as it zooms him back to his boyhood home. My flashback isn’t to my childhood (if it was then this would be a post about some sort of heart-warming casserole involving cream of something soup). Instead, it takes me to this place:
That’s a quaint little house in the middle of a palm-covered oasis in Maceo, Brazil. It’s the kind of place where you play pick-up soccer games barefoot in the middle of a palm clearing, and half of the members of your team have more than 2 legs.
And the kind of place where you can ride a horse into a lagoon and catch a guy in a canoe half way out who gives you a fish for dinner.
It’s where some dear friends of ours live, and several years ago after a long day we sat around a creaky old table late one summer night while the lovely housekeeper made us a big pot of black bean soup. It was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, probably in part because it represented so many memories and experiences for me. I was in a place and with people I had grown up hearing stories about, and I was with my Father who had told me those stories when I was a child. The whole thing was just surreal. I had just finished spending a year and a half in Brazil by myself and at that point I finally understood why it was such an important place to my Dad. We suddenly shared a bond centered on a culture, a language, and a people that we adored. Somehow that soul-warming soup represented all of those emotions so I’ve tried to replicate it ever since. I made countless versions over the years, tweaking and tweaking and starting all over. One day when I didn’t have anything fancy to throw in it, I made it with the most basic ingredients, and even though I know this is probably not anything like the one the housekeeper made from the vegetables in the garden and fresh, local peppers and spices, it’s the only one where when I took a bite, my eyes got wide and my mind zoomed back to that summer night. That’s when I knew that this was the one. Something about it brought all of the memories back, and because of that it’s on my list of big-time comfort foods. And because it takes minimal ingredients, and ones I almost always have on hand, it’s also a regular on our menu.
The great thing is that it’s super low-calorie, and high in fiber, so you can totally afford to throw some toppings on there (which they totally wouldn’t do in Brazil, just for the record. Tortilla chips? Blasphemous! But I am American and I know no one will hunt me down. It’s way better with toppings).
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
- Green chilies – You can find fire roasted green chilies on the ethnic food aisle near things like enchilada sauce and taco ingredients. You want the diced ones. Double check the heat scale– I use mild, but if you like some spice, you could get the hotter ones.
- Onion – Yellow or white onions work best, but you can use any onion in a pinch.
- Toppings – We love this soup with sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, avocado, etc.
- Spices – You’ll need chili powder, cumin, oregano, and a bay leaf.
- Blender – I blend this soup up in my blender. An immersion blender is another option.
Instructions
- Start by sauteing some carrots, onion, celery, and garlic for a few minutes. Pretty much the standard “soup starters.”
- Then add in some drained and rinsed black beans.
- And then add some beef broth, green chilies, and your spices.
- All of that simmers on the stove until the the carrots are nice and tender.
- Remove the pot from the stove, remove the bay leaf, and carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender jar. Remove the stopper from your blender lid to let the heat escape, and cover with a paper towel to prevent splatter. Puree the soup until it’s completely smooth. Optionally, you could pulse it until a semi-chunky soup is achieved.
- Squeeze in the juice of one lime and pulse to combine. Ladle into bows and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.
Serving Suggestions
This black bean soup is the perfect served alongside a pepper Jack panini. It would be delicious with a quesadilla or other Brazilian favorites like grilled meat with Brazilian Vinaigrette and a cold Brazilian Lemonade.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this ahead of time? Of course! Allow the finished soup to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat small portions in the microwave, or reheat the whole batch on the stovetop.
- Can I freeze this black bean soup? Yes! Soup in general makes a great freezer meal and this one is no different. For easy reheating, freeze individual soup pucks in silicone muffin trays or my favorite Souper Cubes, then store in a zip top bag in a freezer. Pull out as many as you need for a serving and heat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup diced carrots about 2 med carrots
- 3/4 cup diced celery about 2 ribs
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 small-medium onion
- 2 cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 3.5- ounce can green chilies
- 2 cans low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lime
- Optional Toppings: sour cream tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.
- Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup.
- Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step.) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters.
- Puree soup until completely smooth. Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.
- Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.
Questions & Reviews
After making it so many times, I thought I’d tell you how much we love this soup! We serve it with sour cream, pico, and tortilla chips. I’m a bean lover as well, and agree with you that after eating the same thing everyday for 18 months (when it’s not your norm), you either end up loving it or loathing it. I’m glad I ended up in the “love” camp.
Hey, Sara! Love your recipes, and the stories that come with them! Black bean soup cooking right now, preliminary tastes are great! 🙂 I wonder if you’d consider adding the lime juice to the ingredient list? I went to the store for chillis, but didn’t realize I needed a lime at the end. 🙁 I’ll bet we’ll still be able to choke it down, right? Teehee! We’ll have lime juice in the leftovers, if there are any. Thanks!
Sorry about that- I hate it when that happens! Didn’t realize it wasn’t on there, I just added it!
delicious!!!!! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
I made this a few months ago & think I will be making it again soon! At the time, I thought it sounded kind of gross(ish) but my husband loves beans. Tried it, loved it, ate seconds and thirds.. thanks for such a great healthy recipe 🙂
Instead of blending hot soup, we blend some of the beans and broth ahead of time. We don’t blend all of the ingredients because we like our BB soup chunky.
Love this soup!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipes. LOVE, Love LOVE it!!!!
I’m from Brasil and even though this recipe looks really delicious, this isn’t how we make our beans in Brasil. But at least you did mention that we do not put toppings on our beans. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m always happy to see someone share something about my beautiful country.
This is quite possibly one of the best soups I have ever made. Served it with baked quesadillas and sour cream, to die for. This is going into heavy rotation at my house.
Made this last night using dried beans (I boiled them for a few minutes then let them sit for a few hours before adding to the recipe). It was fantastic! I love it when I can make food that taste as good or better than restaurant food in my own kitchen!
Yummy yummy!! Never had black bean soup before, this is so yummy! I’ve had your cook book since it came out and FINALLY tried it today since I got my wisdom teeth pulled and needed something easy to eat that was healthy. Thanks so much!! We all loved it!
All I can say is WOW. I have never had black bean soup, assuming it would taste like beans made to soup. I love beans, but didn’t sound appetizing. Holy cow, I have been missing out! This will for sure be a regular this season. Thank you! You guys are awesome
I finally made this for the first time and what a hit! I’d avoided it (even though I thought it looked so good!) just cuz I figured I’d be the only one that liked it. And even though it took 20 minutes and 45 minutes respectively to get my 4 year old and 3 year old to try a bite, once they actually tasted it they loved it! And my husband and the baby loved it too. Total winner! I will for sure be making this again and again!
I’m just about to make this for lunch and realize I don’t have a lime! I guess I need to pay closer attention to my shopping list! Ugh! Do you think I could use lemon juice or would that totally ruin it?
Okay, I just made this soup with a small lemon instead of a lime. Oh. my. goondess. This soup is so delicious! Once again, thank you so much!
Oh. my. goodness. 🙂
This looks amazing! My husband served a mission in Brazil and I can’t wait to make it for him. I love that you posted the weight watchers points also!! So helpful!
never mind about the freezing comment…found my answer in the above comments
we LOVE this soup. my 18 mo old eats just as much husband and I do when I make this. Also, after making it several times according to the directions, I decided to try it in the crock pot. I just throw everything in the crock pot (I skip sauteing the veggies) until the veggies are tender (about three hours on high) and then blend it.
does this recipe freeze well?
I made this soup and it was a complete hit with everyone!
My new favorite soup! Next time I’m doubling the recipe. 🙂
Kind of reminds of soup we had at La Hacienda De San Angel at EPCOT (minus the cactus leaves). Delicious! Made it for a girl’s recipe swap dinner and can’t wait to share it. Thanks!
Woah- that was FAST!!! You gals are AWESOME!
I would LOVE to see this soup recipe get into a printer-friendly format! Awesome recipe 🙂
I have to make this for my hubby, Brazil has a special place in his heart too. Thanks.
I loved this soup! I used regular beef broth and I didn’t have a lime. I really liked the creamy texture. There was a weird sort of aftertaste and I’m not sure what that was. Maybe it was the type of broth I used or the brand of bay leaves I have? Not sure.
So just so you know… I have started cooking a lot more ever since I found this website! I love how the ingredients aren’t obscure and that there are step by step directions as well as pictures!