Is it a soup or a chili? You could, in theory, make it either way. Add a little more broth and you have a runnier soup. Make it as is with some spicy sausage, and it's more like a chili. Either way, black bean soup is really delicious and great to keep in the freezer for a busy weeknight. Tuck it in a lunch box topped with some cheddar cheese and tortilla chips on the side for some fun scooping, or serve for dinner with a green salad and some cornbread. Put hot sauce on the table so everyone can spice up their own.
Ingredients:
2 fresh chorizo sausages, pushed out of their skins (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (you can omit this if you don't like heat)
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups of beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce or passata
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
In a large soup pot, heat about 2 tsp of olive oil and over medium heat and sauté the sausage meat until browned and cooked through. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but about 2 tsp of the grease. In the same pan, sauté the onion until softened and cooked through. Add the garlic, pepper, jalapeno, and sauté for another 5 minutes or so until softened. Stir in the lime juice, brown sugar, oregano, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and pepper. Let the vegetables and spices cook for a minute or two, then stir in the beef broth, tomato sauce, and black beans.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer covered for about 20 minutes until the carrots have softened.
Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, puree half the soup until smooth. Add back to the soup pot with the reserved cooked sausage and fresh cilantro.
Serves 6
Adapted from Crazy Plates
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