Whew! I can’t believe I’m actually online, able to update this blog. It rained all day yesterday and most of last night, the first real rain we’ve had in months. I was ecstatic to see it…right up until the time the weather knocked out my internet connection. It went out around 8:00 last night, and it’s still out. I’m only able to connect now thanks to someone else’s wireless internet and my husband’s laptop. The cable guy is supposed to come tomorrow morning, so somehow I’ll have to get along until then.
Anyway, with the rainy weather, my thoughts turned of course to soup, and this slightly spicy black bean soup really hit the spot. I normally add a little corn right at the end of cooking, but since I was serving this with corn bread, I skipped the corn. And I just had to make corn bread in order to use the cute cactus-shaped, cast iron cornbread pan I got at a yard sale last week (brand new for $3!)
Stormy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 2 cans black beans (or 3 cups), rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-2 teaspoon chile powder
- generous grating of black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels optional
- lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until the onions soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add the beans, seasonings, and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Add 3 cups vegetable broth or water. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, adding additional water or vegetable broth as needed to keep a soupy consistency.
- Just before serving, add the corn, if you like, and heat through. Serve in bowls with lime wedges. Makes 4-6 servings.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share!
Mers
October 13, 2009 at 12:40 pmI just found this recipe in my search for cold weather dishes. Thanks!
Tuesday
December 6, 2009 at 5:14 pmMmm! I just made this. Super tasty. Perfect for chilly weather.
Mr. & Mrs.
January 22, 2010 at 1:04 pmSo I am not a vegan at all….but we are looking to make our lifes healthier here and there. Since we have had this soup, we have tried a number of meals and we love them. I am from the south, where you do not pass on the meats…but if I had this in front of me I would. Its great! Have a good day.
Nicole
April 27, 2015 at 10:54 am“I am from the south, where you do not pass on the meats”
What an odd comment to direct at a website run by a southern woman.
Lee Khatchadourian-Reese
January 24, 2010 at 3:52 pmI just made this. Modified slightly based on what I had in the house- used crushed tomatoes instead of diced and did use a little tiny bit of olive oil to saute the onion, pepper and garlic. It is EXCELLENT!! This ones a keeper, even my meat and potatoes husband loved it!
Keep the good stuff coming!!
livingslowly
January 31, 2010 at 4:27 pmThis is sooo good! I am making pot number two for this week. Can't wait.
Stacy
February 1, 2010 at 7:30 pmI made this soup tonight. It sounded perfect because it was raining all day. This soup is awesome. I can't get enough of it. I didn't have canned diced tomatoes so I just diced some up myself (5 to be percise). My husband usually adds salt to everything that I make and this time he didn't. This soup is going to be a household staple.
Craig
February 2, 2010 at 10:25 pmSusan, how do I adjust this to do in a pressure cooker? Or is it best not to?
Love your blog,
Thanks 🙂
SusanV
February 2, 2010 at 10:55 pmCraig, this is untested, but it's what I would do: Soak 1 1/2 cups of dried black beans over night. Saute the onion, etc., in your pressure cooker. Add the drained beans, water, seasonings, and tomatoes. Cover, bring to high pressure, and cook for 1o minutes. Remove from heat, let pressure come down naturally, and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Let me know your results!
Craig
February 3, 2010 at 6:57 pmThanks Susan. I'll let you know how I go 🙂
I'm addicted to my pressure cooker 🙂
Just Me Again
February 14, 2010 at 3:39 pmThis recipe looks delicious and I love that is it low carbs too.
Can the black beans be substituted with Kidney beans? or other types of beans?
Thanks
Annie
Jenna
February 22, 2010 at 8:10 pmI made this recipe today and it is awesome =). I had never used chipotle chiles in adobo before, but I'm so glad to have discovered them via your recipe(s)! My spicy-food loving husband and I are eternally grateful. Thank you so much for all of your great recipes.
HeidiTFM
February 28, 2010 at 8:49 pmI was really in the mood for black bean soup, so of course, this blog was the first place I turned for a recipe. While this was good–and I actually followed it pretty closely, only omitting the corn because I'm watching carbs–it seemed to be missing something. Salt maybe? Not sure. Perhaps it needs to sit overnight for the flavors to mature. Good basic soup, but I'll need to see tomorrow if it's a make again recipe.
Lisa
May 25, 2010 at 1:40 pmWho cares about the soup! Love those cactus corn muffins! Nothing like a yard sale bargain!
JOHN D BURTON
May 25, 2010 at 5:52 pmGreat minds: here’s what i did for lunch – Black Bean & Baby Bella Chili. It was 11:30 – no bread, no lettuce – needed something to serve at noon; inventory pantry and frig and, voila, black beans and Baby Bella chili.
2 cups (1 can) black beans
10 oz. can tomatoes & green chilies (aka Rotel)
4 Baby Bella (crimini) mushrooms, sliced
1/4 medium purple onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 med bell pepper, coarsely chopped
…1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2-3 Tbs chili powder
Dump all in small pot, bring to boil and slowly simmer until time to serve or peppers are tender but not mushy. The mushroom slices held up well.
annasrobbie
March 11, 2011 at 10:42 amMade this last night and loved it – the chipotle chili gave it such a smokey flavor!
Marian Hamilton
October 14, 2011 at 10:50 amI’ll be using canned tomatoes w/NO SALT added, as well as NO SALT added black beans – so I’m sure the sodium count will be MUCH LESS for my version. 🙂 I try to be a salt-free as well as fatfree vegan, so it’s a tad tougher for me, but still not impossible! Thanks for adding the nutritional info, Suasn! xxooxx
Wendy
October 14, 2011 at 1:30 pmSusan – how would I adapt this for a pressure cooker.. Thanks, wendy
SusanV
October 14, 2011 at 1:35 pmAfter sauteing the onions, etc., cover, bring to high pressure, cook for 6 minutes. Allow pressure to come down naturally or quick-release after 10 minutes. Oh, you should try it with about 1 cup less water and add more after it’s cooked if necessary.
Lynne
October 14, 2011 at 1:44 pmI love black bean soup. We camp a lot and our first night camping Black Bean Soup is a tradition. I have this cool easy recipe as after driving all day, cooking isn’t on my agenda. I take 2 cans of black beans, one can of veggie broth, and a half small jar of salsa. Heat it up and serve with baked tortilla stips and a chopped green onion or sweet onion to float on top. I really like your cornbread idea better though
Carol
October 14, 2011 at 6:19 pmI saw this recipe a few hours ago and made it tonight. It was delicious and totally exceeded my expectations. Definitely a keeper, thank you!
Namontack
February 14, 2014 at 12:09 pmMake this soup, but instead of bellpepper, replace it with cactus 🙂
Andrew
March 25, 2014 at 9:11 amLooks terrific! How would I need to adjust it for a slow cooker? Thanks!
Marcia
November 12, 2017 at 7:43 pmWe made this tonight for first time and cooked it in IP 3 mins, but will do 5 next time so I can add uncooked quinoa instead of cooked. I had added too much liquid, I think. I also added the corn, plus spinach after MPR. Will make it again. We liked it!! Thanks.
OceansRain
January 9, 2022 at 6:08 pmBeen making this for about 10 years and still a favorite bean soup recipe! I usually double the recipe so I can freeze and have a quick go to meal on busy days where cooking is a low priority. For those who sometimes get a watery soup……I have found that taking a cup or two and running it through a food processor and adding it back is a quick and easy way to thicken it up without altering the flavor.
OceansRain
January 9, 2022 at 6:31 pmCorrection! I meant blender instead of food processor!