Souper Sunday: Black Bean Soup

I truly think that black beans are one of the most underrated foods in existence. I simply love them. As a vegetarian I find black beans make a perfect substitute for meat in tacos, nachos, and they even make a mean burger patty.  I especially love black bean soup and I was delighted to find this recipe over at allrecipes.com. The soup turned out delicious and I plan to make it again soon before it gets too hot to enjoy soup here in the Arizona desert.  This recipe is based on the Vegan Black Bean Soup recipe at allrecipes.com but I did make a few changes, primarily reducing the chili powder so my children would eat the soup. This is a pretty easy recipe that is sure to please.

Vegan Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cans black beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in  broth, both cans of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, puree remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes
3. Enjoy!

I served this with cornbread muffins and the whole family enjoyed it. I hope you do, too. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think.