Soup season has arrived. I enter Winter kicking and screaming, but if there’s one thing I love about the changing temperatures, it’s soup season. I love sitting with a big bowl of soup and some bread to dip in it, usually sitting under an electric blanket. Soup is great because it’s often relatively simple, relatively healthy, and can be made in big batches, perfect for leftovers. Oh, and it’s WARM!
This particular soup recipe was sent to me by my cousin Lori. I doubled the recipe (my version below) and used only 1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of two because I was worried it would be too spicy. The flavor was good and I don’t think extra spice would’ve been bad, so feel free to use two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of one of each!
Like any good soup, this was easy (literally just dumping a bunch of ingredients in a pot and heating), healthy, and made 4-5 servings. Break out the electric blankets and the stockpot…it’s soup season! 
What’s your favorite soup? Any I should try this Winter?
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Smoky Black Bean Soup
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Description
A smoky black bean soup topped with salsa
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz / 425 g) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- 1 can (14 1/2 oz / 410 g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (14 1/2 oz / 410 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup (240 ml) chipotle salsa (I used a jalapeno salsa)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- for the salsa-
- 1 cup (240 ml) diced peeled avocado
- 1 lime
- 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place beans in a medium saucepan. Using a potato masher, mash beans slightly. Stir in water, diced tomatoes, salsa, and cumin.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 minutes, or until soup is slightly thickened.
- In a small bowl, place avocado. Grate rind from limes and squeeze juice from lime into bowl. Add cilantro and salt. Toss gently.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Top with avocado mixture and sour cream, if desired.
Notes
- from Cooking Light
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 230
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
- Pappa al Pomodoro – Rustic Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup
- General Tso’s Cauliflower
- Crispy Avocado Tacos
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe call for mashing the beans before adding the other ingredients?
Mashing the black beans slightly in the saucepan before adding the liquid breaks down some of the beans’ starches, which naturally thickens the soup without needing any added flour or cream. The recipe calls for uncovering the pot and cooking 2 more minutes at the end specifically to reach that slightly thickened consistency.
How spicy will this soup be, and can I control the heat level?
The heat comes from 1 cup of chipotle salsa and the choice of fire-roasted vs. regular diced tomatoes. The recipe originally called for two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes but uses only one here because of spice concerns — if you enjoy more heat, swap both cans for fire-roasted. The author notes the flavor was good either way.
Can the avocado salsa topping be made in advance?
The salsa is best made fresh just before serving — avocado browns quickly once cut, and the topping is assembled at the last step by tossing diced avocado with lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and 1/4 tsp salt. Make the soup ahead if you like, but prep the avocado topping right before ladling.
