Agile in the kitchen

World Vegetarian Day Black Bean Soup

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Today (1st of October) is World Vegetarian Day and what better way to celebrate it than with a warming black bean soup, that can also be made vegan. Carefully mixing it in a blender to your desired consistency, this soup can be made as chunky or smooth as you like it.

Ingredients for black bean soup lined up. A pot of salt, a red onion, a bowl of black beans, a bowl of salsa and two cloves of garlic.
Ingredients for black bean soup

This is another one of my simple go-to soup recipes because it does not require much prep or many ingredients. Once everything is in the pot, the soup is happy to bubble along on the stove, while I clean the kitchen.

A pot with chopped red onions and black beans, salsa is slowly being poured into the pot.
Adding salsa to the onions and black beans

Make it a fun family dinner by putting the toppings on the table and let everyone add as much or as little of them as they like.

A braided basket with a green cloth, on top there is a blue bowl with black bean soup topped with nachos, corn, a wedge of lime, a dollop of creme fraiche and some green onions
Black bean soup, look at those colours.

Substitutes

I like to use dried beans with store bought salsa, but it works just as well with black beans from a can and your own salsa.

To make the black bean soup vegan, you can use vegan cheese and oatgurt or any other vegan yogurt.

Freezer Friendly

This black bean soup freezes very well, even if you have already frozen the black beans, you can still freeze them again. Once you have reheated the soup in a pot, taste it and add more spices or acid (from the lime) as needed. I sometimes find when I freeze things that the heat has either expanded or disappeared, so do not forget to taste it before portioning it out in bowls and adding the toppings.

A braided basket with a green cloth, on top there is a blue bowl with black bean soup topped with nachos, corn, a wedge of lime, a dollop of creme fraiche and some green onions
Print Recipe

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

A heart warming black bean soup for International Vegetarian Day
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keyword: Black beans, salsa
Servings: 4 portions

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 300 g cooked black beans
  • 300 g salsa
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 red chili optional
  • 1 lime

Optional extras

  • Shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Creme fraiche
  • Corn
  • Nachos
  • A wedge of lime

Instructions

  • Dice one onion and mince the garlic.
  • Add oil to a large pot and add the onion and garlic, cook until soft, about five minutes.
  • Rinse black beans and add to the pot along with salsa. Stir with a wooden spoon.
  • Add water and salt, and stir again.
  • If you prefer extra heat, add a chopped red chili.
  • Bring to boil and then let simmer under lid for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary.
  • Take half of the soup and gently pour into another bowl. Mix smooth with a hand blender. Be very careful as the liquid is very hot. To be sure, you can let the soup cool down a bit first.
  • Transfer the liquid back into the pot, reheat for 5 minutes.
  • Serve in individual bowls with a wedge of lime, nachos, shredded cheese and creme fraiche.
  • If you want to keep it vegan, omit the cheese and creme fraiche or use vegan alternatives.

Notes

For a more chunky soup, blend less of the liquid. For a smooth soup, mix all the liquid.
Choose the heat of the salsa based on how hot you like your soup.

Bulk cooking dried beans

I enjoy the process of spending a weekend bulk cooking dried beans. Using this recipe, soaking the beans overnight and then using all my pots to cook a big batch of beans to freeze for later.