Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

As is often the case, weather around Ashland, Oregon is unpredictable and scattered. Just within the last few days we’ve had sunshine, warmth pushing the 80’s in temperatures, rain, high winds, and then snow capped hills amongst the edges of our valley. If Spring is actually here, its been a chilly one thus far. However, cold weather lends itself to comfort foods, rich and hearty soups and stews, foods that are filling and warming.

I was a little surprised how well this soup went over, even with the kids. We had almost no leftovers, which is extremely rare when it comes to soup around here. Vincent said that this black bean soup was basically “the best thing you could could do with a bean.”

Feel free to add more spice to this if you prefer. You can use a spicier pepper than the Anaheim chili I’ve used here. A smoky poblano or spicy jalapeño would likely work well.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

5 cups cooked black beans (roughly three 15-ounce cans, drained)
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable/canola/your preference)
2 large onions, diced
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 anaheim chili, seeded and diced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen is fine)
6 cups No-Chicken broth (vegetable broth is OK)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to your liking

To serve the soup:
sour cream
cotija cheese
diced avocado
fresh lime slices
crispy tortilla strips (fry thin cut strips of day-old tortillas)

Directions:

In a large pot (like this), heat the oil. Add the onion, diced bell pepper and garlic, then cook until the onion is translucent. Season with about one teaspoon of salt and a bit of fresh ground black pepper. Add the anaheim chili pepper and cook another minute or so, then add the cumin, oregano and chipotle seasoning. Cook until aromatic (a minute or so).

Add the corn, broth, vinegar, and black beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes more, seasoning with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Serve topped with sour cream, cotija cheese, avocado, tortilla strips and lime (or however you’d prefer to eat it!).