Smoky Black Bean Soup
A thick, smoky black bean soup from tins and store-cupboard spices, blended half smooth in 40 minutes.
Blending only half the pot is the detail that makes this worth making. You get the body of a pureed soup and still have whole beans to chew on, without any cream or stock cubes doing the work. Smoked paprika and a little cumin give it the depth that usually comes from a ham bone and several hours.
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How to make Smoky Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
Base
Soup
To serve
Equipment
- Large heavy pot
- Stick blender or jug blender
- Wooden spoon
Method
-
1
Soften the vegetables
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium and cook the onion, celery and pepper with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until soft and just starting to colour at the edges. This is the base of the flavour, so do not rush it.
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2
Toast the spices
Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano and chipotle and stir for 60 seconds, until the pot smells strongly of spice. Toasting them in oil is what separates a deep soup from a dusty one.
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3
Build the pot
Add the beans, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and salt. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift anything stuck, bring it to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer.
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4
Simmer
Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the liquid has reduced slightly and the beans are completely soft.
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5
Blend half
Remove the bay leaf. Blend about half the pot with a stick blender, or take 3 cups out to a blender and return it. Stop while there are still plenty of whole beans visible.
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6
Finish with lime
Stir in the lime juice and taste for salt; it will need more than you expect. Serve with coriander, chilli, avocado and more lime at the table.
Cook’s tips
- Rinse the beans properly. The liquid in the tin makes the soup taste tinny and dulls the smoked paprika.
- The lime at the end is not a garnish. Without acid the soup tastes heavy and flat, however well seasoned it is.
- If it thickens too much on standing, loosen it with stock or water rather than more tomato, which would make it sharp.
Variations
- Add 200 g of chorizo or smoked bacon with the onion if you are not keeping it vegan.
- Stir in a cup of sweetcorn or a chopped courgette in the last 5 minutes for more vegetables.
- Serve it thicker over rice as a stew, or thinner with tortilla chips crushed on top.
Storage and make-ahead
Keeps 5 days in the fridge, thickening as it sits, and freezes well for 3 months. Freeze it before adding the lime and the toppings, and reheat gently with a splash of water.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 312 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fibre | 16 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Sodium | 540 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
