Try This Healthy And Delicious Black Bean Soup Recipe

A pot of chili is pretty easy to whip together and goes a long way toward enhancing a fall sports tailgating experience or warming up a dreary fall evening. I hate to admit this, but lately, even a pot of chili seems like a lot of work. It's really quite shameful.

And so I returned to this old soup recipe that I think I had clipped from a box of Saltine crackers many years ago. Like maybe 15 years ago. Seriously. I no longer seem to have the original clipping, but the soup still tastes as good as I remember it. And it's really very simple to make for all its heartiness and good flavor. Once you chop and saute and onion and some garlic, the rest is pretty much just pouring beans, broth and salsa out of cans and jars, running a blender for a few seconds, and waiting around for the soup to cook.

This recipe is my go-to black bean soup, partly because it is so delicious, but also because it requires very little effort. There is no shortage of black bean soup recipes out there, however, and you can pick and choose from among the ingredients in as many of them as you want to make your own custom concoction. Just don't neglect the recipes on all those ingredient packages.

Black Bean Soup with Salsa

Ingredient:

• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 small to medium fresh chile pepper, minced
• 4 ½ cups, or about 3 cans, black beans, drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups prepared salsa
• 2 Tbs lime juice

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and chile pepper. Cook and stir about 1 minute more.

2. Meanwhile, place about half the beans and 1 cup chicken broth in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour into the cooked onion mixture. Stir in remaining beans, salsa and remaining chicken broth.

3. Bring to a low boil and simmer about 30 minutes or until everything is very tender. Stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt if desired.