John’s birthday was Monday and he is the type who would rather grill out (which we did) and cook (some sort of pasta – gnocchi, which we did) instead of going out to eat. Not me. I will of course cook all of my favorite meals all week long (Mexican Pie, a perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Tomato Bisque, and some sort of pasta), but I will definitely go out to eat on the day of my birthday. If we would have gone out to eat though for John, he would have chosen between a steak house or Barcelona Tapas. When we first moved up to Indianapolis this is the restaurant we went to all of the time. Our favorite thing to get is their black bean soup. After eating it we decided my old black bean soup recipe did not even come close. This is of course is like a challenge to me. After a little tinkering I think I finally got it – aka John approved.
Pictures updated November 2014
Now I used canned black beans which I think is not only easy but I think their flavor is still great. But one of the things I love about this soup is all of the layer of flavors. After the beans are pureed they put off this creamy texture. The cayenne brings a little heat (to which you can omit if you don’t like spice). And the citrus from the lime adds a new dimension that I believe I was missing in my first recipe.
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans of black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 can of diced tomato with juice
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 if you'd like a little more heat
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- Olive oil
- Sour Cream for garnish
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In stockpot, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute for 8 minutes.
- In food processor (or blender) puree add black beans, sautéed vegetables, tomatoes and 1/2 c. vegetable stock. Wait for about 5 minutes to allow sautéed vegetables to become room temperature. Then puree. This will produce a somewhat thick consistency.
- Return to pot. Add in the rest of the stock, lime juice, spices & herbs. At first it might seem to have too much liquid but continue stirring until fully incorporated.
- Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
- Serve with sour cream and cilantro.
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Comments & Reviews
Sophia says
My my Lauren this looks AMAZING! You are improving more and more each day! Love this dish!
Jessica Lynn says
I love this recipe. I shared it over at http://www.themommyhappinessproject.com
Lauren says
Thank you for sharing it! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Please stop by again.