Black Bean Soup

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This gluten-free and vegan Black Bean Soup is tangy, zesty, and savory. It also yields delicious leftovers, making it the perfect meal to start and then enjoy throughout the week! Tips and tricks included! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

Spiriteds, if you need us on a Sunday afternoon, there’s a high probability we’re I the kitchen making a batch of this Black Bean Soup. Sunday night dinner is DONE and so are leftovers for the rest of the week! In about 90 minutes, you’ll have a delicious gluten-free and vegan dinner right at your fingertips. And aside from puréeing a cup of the soup in a high-speed blender, this is a one-pot-one-pan recipe. 

I was inspired to create Black Bean Soup when I saw Melissa Petitto’s Black Bean, Lime, and Tomato Soup recipe in her cookbook Eat Better, Live Longer: Lesson’s in Longevity from the World’s Healthiest Zones. The final result is a filling (but not heavy) soup, and we LOVE it. If you want a hearty, meatless soup, then this is one to add to your recipe tin. No matter how many times I eat Black Bean Soup, my tastebuds are still tricked into believing I’m eating a traditional meat-based chili. I chalk it up to the hearty black beans, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Whatever the reason, this soup is deliciously vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

Okay, how about this? How about we just grab our large, wide-mouthed pots or pans and some delicious spices and get this going? Because, Spiriteds, our foursome cannot wait to share this savory soup recipe with you!

Black Bean Soup is

• Vegan and vegetarian
• Gluten-Free and dairy-Free
• Savory and tangy
• Ideal for tasty leftovers
• Easy to prep ahead

Side note: We love to make this soup on a Sunday afternoon to then enjoy leftovers throughout the week. To be fair, though, this is a recipe best enjoyed any day of the week!

Black Bean Soup ingredients

• Olive oil. Enough to cover the bottom of a rondeau or other soup/pasta pot. Onion. Really, any color will work here.
• Fresh garlic. And LOTS of of it! But, honestly, you can add as many or as few pressed or minced cloves as your tastebuds wish.
• Carrots. I slice up baby carrots, but you can slice and dice a whole carrot or whatever works best for you.
• Broth. In this case, I use Homemade Vegetable Broth. Or do what my MIL used to do and go with tap water.
• Black beans. I find 3 cans is our family’s sweet spot, but you can increase or decrease the quantity based on your preference.
• Ground spices and seasonings. Cumin, chili powder, paprika, and sea salt. Adjust each to your liking. And if there are other flavors you want to add, then go for it!
• Grape tomatoes. I love grape tomatoes for this soup because they add juice, color, and flavor without being overly watery.
• Fresh lime. Zest the lime first and then juice it. You’ll use both in this tangy, savory soup!
• Fresh cilantro. For garnishing. Remove the stems and then mince the leaves. Fresh is best as the cilantro can wilt and change flavor rather quickly.

How to make Black Bean Soup

1. Add to a rondeau pot or other wide-mouthed pasta/soup pot the olive oil, quartered onion, pressed garlic, and sliced carrots. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is browned but not burned. Then stir in the broth, black beans, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and sea salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, stirring periodically.
2. Next stir in about 3 cups grape tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes start to soften and are easily pressed with the flat side of a turner, about 15-30 minutes.
3. Transfer 1 cup of soup to a high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup back to the rondeau pot and simmer another 15 minutes to recombine. When the desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
4. Serve in wide bowls, spritz with lime juice and top with sprinkles of lemon zest and fresh cilantro.
5. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about one week.

Side note: Whether you simmer the tomatoes for 15 minutes or closer to 30 minutes will depend on their size and how soft you want the tomatoes to be. Short simmer times are great for small tomatoes and/or a firmer grape tomato consistency in the soup. A longer simmer time is ideal for larger grape tomatoes and/or a softer grape tomato consistency (pictured in this blog post). 

Recipe tips and tricks

• The longer you simmer the soup and the more of it you purée, the thicker your soup will be.
• Yields are an approximation and may depend on the amount of liquid lost to evaporation. If desired, increase the amount of broth (or water) by a cup or two if you need a larger yield.
• Adjust seasonings as desired. And include additional spices, if you’d like. This is a flexible soup and easy to customize.
• Add additional ingredients such as bell peppers, potatoes, or cauliflower.

More vegetarian recipes to enjoy!

We love a good vegetable soup or two, and if you’re the same, then here are some to tuck away for another day! 

• Dairy-Free Homemade Creamy Vegetable Soup
• Creamy Roasted Garlic and Onion Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always remember I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

Black Bean Soup

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This gluten-free and vegan Black Bean Soup is tangy, zesty, and savory. It also yields delicious leftovers, making it the perfect meal to start and then enjoy throughout the week! Tips and tricks included! {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

• Author: Spirited and then Some
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 5 cups 1x
• Category: Soups and Stews
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• Olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot
• 1 small to medium onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 cups Homemade Vegetable Broth
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 cups grape tomatoes
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced

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Instructions

1. Add to a rondeau pot or other wide-mouthed pasta/soup pot the olive oil, quartered onion, pressed garlic, and sliced carrots. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is browned but not burned. Then stir in the broth, black beans, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and sea salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, stirring periodically.
2. Next stir in about 3 cups grape tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes start to soften and are easily pressed with the flat side of a turner, about 15-30 minutes.
3. Transfer 1 cup of soup to a high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup back to the rondeau pot and simmer another 15 minutes to recombine. When the desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
4. Serve in wide bowls, spritz with lime juice and top with sprinkles of lemon zest and fresh cilantro.
5. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about one week.

Notes

• The longer you simmer the soup and the more of it you purée, the thicker your soup will be.
• Yields are an approximation and may depend on the amount of liquid lost to evaporation. If desired, increase the amount of broth (or water) by a cup or two.
• Adjust seasonings as desired. And include additional spices, if you’d like. This is a flexible soup and easy to customize.
• Add additional ingredients such as bell peppers, potatoes, or cauliflower.
• Whether you simmer the tomatoes for 15 minutes or closer to 30 minutes will depend on their size and how soft you want the tomatoes to be. Short simmer times are great for small tomatoes and/or a firmer grape tomato consistency in the soup. A longer simmer time is ideal for larger grape tomatoes and/or a softer grape tomato consistency (pictured in this blog post).