Recipes

Everyone loves black bean soup, right? Well, if you’re not sure, give this one a try! Creamy, flavorful, and fun! I like to serve a basket of Tortilla Crisps, too.

Black Bean Soup
adapted from Sarah Leah Chase’s Year Around Cookbook

Makes 8-10 servings

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 (or more!) cloves of garlic, minced
6 carrots, peeled and minced
4 ribs celery, minced
1 can green chilies
1/6-1/4 cup ground cumin (to taste)
1/4 cup dried oregano
1 lb black beans, soaked overnight in water
3 1/2 - 4 quarts chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (optional, but yum!)
1/2 cup cooking sherry (optional, but adds depth)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
sour cream for garnish
sliced avocado for garnish

1. Place olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in large stockpot. Saute, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. STir in the green chilies and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the cumin and oregano.
2. Rinse and drain the black beans and add to the stockpot. Cover with 3 1/2 quarts chicken broth. Simmer uncovered until the beans are very tender and beginning to fall apart, about 2 hours. This with additional broth if the mixture seems to be getting too thick.
3. Stir in lime juice and sherry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, swirl in the cilantro. Serve piping hot bowls garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado. Pretty and yum!

Tortilla Crisps

Cut a package of 12 7- or 8-inch tortillas into 8 wedges. Spread one third of the wedges on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 oven 5-10 minutes, or until dry and crisp; cool. Repeat with remaining wedges. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 weeks.

Discussion

2 comments for “Black Bean Soup”

1. Sounds delicious! Thanks for the great recipes.

   Posted by Jackie | February 25, 2009, 5:42 am

2. This sounds very yummy, I think I’ll try it this weekend.

   Posted by sam | February 25, 2009, 1:52 pm

Name *

E-mail *

Web site

Please note: we really value the input and interaction that you, the reader, brings to our site. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. We welcome all thoughts, questions, and ideas, both in agreement or disagreement, that contribute to a healthy discussion. Comments are moderated.

Comment