close

Black Bean Soup

I love soup. Soup is comforting, healing, often healthy, hearty, and, except consommé, relatively easy to make. I honestly think I could eat soup every day, even in the summer. This black bean soup is a favorite of my family.  To me it is simple, subtle, and nourishing, and one I have made recently while in lockdown.

black bean soup

The word “soup” comes from the French word “soupe” meaning “broth“. This comes by way of the Latin word “suppa”, meaning bread soaked in broth” and from a Germanic source, from which also comes the word “sop“–well, now we know why people sop bread when they eat soup.

Food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking and that evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 20,000 BC.  In the U.S., the first colonial cookbook was published by William Parks in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1742, based on Eliza Smith’s The Compleat Housewife; (also known as the Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion) and it included several recipes for soups and bisques.

black bean soup

Making soup is one of the first things I do when my boys get sick, well, maybe second, buying disinfectant wipes typically comes first. When illness rolls around, my older son prefers matzo ball soup, and my younger one, classic chicken noodles. But when I make my black bean soup on other nights, they both enjoy it.

Soup, no matter what kind, or how you’re feeling when you eat it, is comforting. Just a single sip can be soothing and bring hope and reassurance, even when you least expect it. And with all that is happening in our world today, I think comfort is something we all crave right now.

black bean soup

My black bean soup is made with dried beans but does not require pre-soaking. It is also partially a blended soup, meaning it is cooked and then pureed. This soup can easily be made with either vegetable or chicken stock depending on your preferences. Top with yellow rice, fresh soft queso fresco, onion, and chives, and you have a high-protein, rather well-balanced meal in a single bowl.

You can easily substitute the dried beans for canned black beans (something many of you may have stocked up on). If using canned, simply reduce your cooking time to 20 minutes and proceed with the recipe as written. I’m thinking about everyone around the world right now wishing good health and peace to all.

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

4 thoughts on "Black Bean Soup"

  1. Avatar photo Karen says:

    Made this tonight and all loved it! Even my bean-hating 14-year-old.

    1. Love it! And if your 14-year-old son ate it, I’m calling that a BIG win! You rock Karen.

      1. Avatar photo Karen says:

        Question: Do you put the tomatoes and jalapeno in with the spices? I assume so given the order of ingredients. At least that’s how I’ve been doing it!

        1. Yes! I have updated the recipe to clarify. Thanks for flagging that.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comment Policy

Simmer + Sauce reserves the right to remove or restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the topic conversation, contain profanity or offensive language, personal attacks, or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business. Any post found to be in violation of any of these guidelines will be modified or removed without warning. When making a comment on my blog, you grant Simmer + Sauce permission to reproduce your content to our discretion, an example being for a possible endorsement or media kit purposes. If you don’t want your comment to be used for such purposes, please explicitly state this within the body of your comment. If you find evidence of copyright infringement in the comments of simmerandsauce.com, contact me and I will remove that in question promptly.