Categories: Soups
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups black beans (dry beans that have been soaked overnight) You can also use 3 cans (14 oz) of black beans instead of dry beans. The advantage of dry beans over canned is the significant reduction in sodium.
- Enough water or vegetable broth to cover the beans
- 1-2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced finely
- 1/2 green pepper, diced finely
- 2 carrots, rinsed, peeled, and diced
- 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1/2 tsp of cardamom
- 1/2 tsp of coriander
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp of paprika
- Garnish with: chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, freshly diced peppers, tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, low-fat sour cream, pepper jack cheese
Directions
-
After the beans have thoroughly soaked overnight in a pan of water, drain and place beans in a pot with enough water or broth to cover the beans and so that it comes 1/2 inch above the beans. Bring to a boil.
-
Once the beans are boiling, reduce the heat and cook beans until soft/tender. Cooking times can vary….it takes a good 40-60 minutes to get them very soft. Stir every 5-10 minutes. You may need to add a bit more water or vegetable broth so that the beans do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
-
At this point (after 1 hour), test the tenderness of the beans and if they are not easily falling apart, you have a couple of options: 1) allow them to cook longer and then place 1 cup of the beans into a food processor or use an immersion hand mixer to puree the beans. 2) if you are feeling frustrated and very hungry, make yourself a sandwich and then start over with 3 cans of black beans.
-
In a separate frying pan, saute the onion and garlic on medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned.
-
Add the carrots and peppers to the onions and garlic and cook until tender.
-
Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot with the beans, then add the contents of the frying pan to the bean pot (onions, garlic, peppers, and carrot).
-
Cook on medium/low heat for an additional 30 minutes until all the ingredients and flavors have blended together.
-
Now, add the spices and salt and pepper. You may need to add a little bit more water or broth depending on the consistency of the soup at this point and your own preference. Cook for a few more minutes.
-
Serve with some tasty garnishes like…chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, freshly diced peppers, tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, low-fat sour cream, pepper jack cheese.