Give homemade black bean soup an extra kick with a dollop of sour cream laced with cilantro, lime and jalapeño sauce.
I was looking through one of those “30 days of menus for diabetics” plans for some lunch ideas. One lunch featured canned black bean soup. I immediately thought of a black bean soup recipe I haven’t made in years. And when I say years, I mean it. I’ve been married to my current husband for more than six years and he’s never had this version of black bean soup. I knew this recipe was better than anything a can could offer and was really happy that I was able to (a) remember the cookbook it was in, and (b) actually find said cookbook.
The original recipe called for canned black beans, but I decided to use dried beans and soak/cook them myself. This cut about 750mg of Sodium per serving! I also used turkey bacon, light sour cream, tomatoes with green chiles and threw in some extra garlic. Making this dish takes considerably more time than opening a can of soup, but it’s definitely worth it.
This soup is low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol and is a good source of Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese and Folate.
Make it Vegetarian: Skip the turkey bacon and sauté the onions and garlic in a little bit of olive oil.
Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Cream
Ingredients
FOR THE SOUP
- 1 pound dried black beans
- 4 slices turkey bacon chopped
- 1 medium onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (10 to 14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 14 ounces chicken stock
FOR THE CILANTRO-LIME CREAM
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon jalapeño Tabasco sauce
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SOUP
- Place beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Let sit overnight. Drain water and cover beans with fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer approximately 1½ hours or until beans are soft. Drain in a colander.
- In the same pot, combine bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin and cook an additional minute.
- Add beans, tomatoes (with juice) and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool about 15 minutes.
- Transfer 2 cups of soup to a food processor and puree. Stir back into pot. Add up to ½ cup water if soup is too thick.
TO MAKE THE CILANTRO-LIME CREAM
- Combine sour cream, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeño sauce in a small bowl.
- Put soup in bowls and drizzle with sauce.
Wendy – the more beans you buzz up, the thicker the soup will be. You might want to start with 1 cup instead of 2 and see how you like that consistency. If it’s too thin, buzz up more beans in the food processor. If it’s too thick, add more water or stock.
My mom used to make the best cuban black bean soup. I’ve never quite been able to get it exactly right. I love cooking beans now that it is getting cooler. Was your version thick or thin?