Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes || Active time: 20 minutes
My mailman rarely talks to me, but he made sure to tell me that this soup smelled great when I was cooking it. So, there you go, endorsed by the US Postal Service.
The thing about this soup, is that it’s almost the only time in the world where I don’t rinse the canned beans. The whole shebang is poured right in, creating a flavorful full-bodied broth that is so monumentally satisfying with the chewy quinoa. Of course, we have our usual black bean soup suspects — cumin, oregano, bay, cilantro — and all that flavor just gets sealed into the delicious broth. It’s familiar but definitely not ordinary.
You can certainly customize to your desires; add some kale at the end, maybe even potatoes with the carrots, or corn. I would have used jalapenos if I had some on hand, too. But the red pepper flakes provide a nice heat and this soup hits the spot if you’re craving something spicy and filling, that you can throw avocado on.
Notes
~If you’re wondering why I add only half of the broth at first, it’s so that it boils faster, thus cooking the quinoa faster. It’s just something I do.
~If you’re wondering why I don’t add the beans with the broth at first, it’s because when soup is thick, it takes longer to cook the quinoa. So I let it cook most of the way, then toss in the remaining liquids.
~Black beans tend to be salty, so I’m not adding a specific quantity of salt here. Definitely salt to taste!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced medium
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup quinoa
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 inch pieces or so
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 24 oz can black beans
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
For serving:
Avocado
Tortilla chips
Directions
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Saute onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and saute with the onions for a few seconds. Then add tomato, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or so, just to break down the tomatoes a bit.
Add quinoa, carrots and bay leaves, and then pour in 2 cups of the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes or so, until al dente (that’s mostly tender with a little bite.)
Add the remainder of the broth, the black beans with their cooking liquid, and the cilantro. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes or so, to cook the quinoa the rest of the way.
Taste for salt and seasonings and let sit for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry. Remove bay leaves and serve topped with crushed tortillas, avocado and cilantro.
I like your tips, Isa… it is like learning the method of your culinary madness. 🙂
Dammit, Isa! Cut it out with all the yummy recipes!
. . . said no one ever.
I mean if the USPS says it’s good…
ha ha! I’m hoping to make this soon. I’m interested to see how it is without rinsing the black beans.
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this! Looks and sounds delicious!
By sheer luck, I just realized that I have all these ingredients on hand – and I think I’ve just discovered what I’m having for dinner tonight…
Thanks for the recipe!
Already made! Delicious!
What! Fast!
How did you know that I was craving black bean soup???
Perfect timing. Thank you.
I know all.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was really, really good! I didn’t have fresh cilantro on hand, but I have a commercial frozen cilantro that comes in 1/2 tsp. portions and used three of them in the soup and it was perfect! Thanks for all the great recipes and ideas!
Well, I have NEVER heard of commercial frozen cilantro, so that’s a revelation! Glad you liked it.
My girlfriend asked me to pick up avocados today, and I immediately knew what she was making. She’s a PPK addict, and has almost converted me to a vegetarian, thanks in no small part to Isa’s recipes. Btw, try adding sweet potatoes, it was delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely lovely. I’ve had black bean soups before but there was something special about this one. Followed the recipe exactly, but will definitely be experimenting next time. Thanks!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! My meat eating husband devoured his bowl!!
No, you’re supposed to eat the SOUP, not the BOWL.
Bahahahahahaahahahahhaahahaha. I know this response is old but I’m over here chuckling. Had to comment. Going to pick up the ingredients I’m missing tomorrow so I can whip this up!
I agree with Elizabeth — can’t wait to try this
Made this tonight. It was so so so amazing. I completely forgot to add the carrot :/ but it turned out wonderful anyway!
Yum, this looks great! I was just thinking how nice black bean soup would be. I’ll definitely be making this once I get a chance to pick up some groceries.
Oh, forgot to add this in my last comment: Is 24 oz of black beans ~3 cups? I only have 15 oz cans.
Something like that. 2 cans will be fine!
Yummy! And it so happens we have some organic quinoa in the cupboard- just have to lay my hands on some black beans…
OMG This is going to be dinner tonight at my house.
Will canned whole tomatoes also work? I have everything else, and I usually put off recipes with tomatoes until later in the season.
Thanks!
Well that rocked. Only had one can o’ beans, so I tossed in a can of corn, which added a depth of texture that was pleasing. Good call on the crushed chips and avocado. I named it “Ranger Chowder” in honor of the Rangers v. Astros Opening Night game. (^_^)
Simmering on the stove now! It smells delicious and look how short that ingredient list is! Perfect for a weeknight.
Cooking this now. Made 1/2 the potions since I’m cooking for one. Smells amazing.
This was dinner tonight, another Isa HOME-RUN!!!
Whenever I am in a cooking slump I can always rely on you to pull me up out of it!! Put all this in the crockpot and can’t wait to come back to it for dinner. Thank you!!!
Awesome! Just finished making it for dinner. Home run with vegan teenager and carnivore hubby. A huge hit with me, the cook….super easy. Delicious, healthy and satisfying. Thank you!!!
Another vote for frozen cilantro! It is a lifesaver in the off-season for recipe where you don’t need that raw leafy quality but want the flavor. They sell it at Trader Joe’s, also the frozen garlic, ginger, etc – http://www.dorot.co.il/
WOAH! Welcome to SALT TOWN! I added a couple of extra cups of water at the end to save the soup because it was just TOO SALTY – maybe my bean liquid is saltier than the brand everyone else used… or maybe less is more if you make this with stock cubes. I ALWAYS use cubes, and never prepared stock, because I’m lazy/poor.
Otherwise, this was a really nice recipe! Love that it came together so quick and cost next to nothing per serving. Thanks, Isa!
Brilliant. Am eating it as I type (and as the chocolate bundt cake cooks in the oven). Amazing flavors (at mercy of my pantry so used one can cannellini beans, one can black beans). The quinoa gives it a deep, chewy yum. Topped with some tofu whirred in the blender with lemon. Isa, you are the BEST. Thanks for your constant generosity in sharing your flavors with us!!!
Subbed a 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes for the fresh and chunks of sweet potato for the carrot. Delicious!
This was super good and so easy! I subbed ground New Mexico Chiles for the red pepper flakes and it was great. Looking forward to trying it as written and also playing around with other vegetables. Omni boyfriend also loved it!
I made this last night and it was amazing! Even the kids gobbled it up!
I should like to submit the following evidence. Your Honor, it concerns an official agency of the United States Government. The Post Office….
If the post office recognizes it, it must be true. Trying it out tonight along with the tip to add only half of the broth at first.
I am a black bean soup snob, and this recipe was amazing!! It could be my favorite black bean recipe!
Hoo-ray!
In my earlier comment, I was just PLANNING to make this. When I actually DID make it, it exceeded expectations! I added chopped kale and topped it with avocado slices, as it appears in your photo. I even stole your tortilla chips on the side idea. It was awesome. Definitely a keeper.
I made this last night. I am making it again tonight. I have never done that before. Yum!
This soup tasted good. I used chopped parsley instead of the cilantro and it turned out great. My avocados weren’t ripe but we didn’t miss them.
Ah, I rinsed the beans and added them without any soaking liquid because we like our soups not so liquid 🙂
Made this yesterday and it was good but for some reason it seemed to be lacking some flavor and kind of bland. There was spice but not a lot of flavor like everyone else is indicating. I followed the recipe exactly except I drained the black beans out of the can because I thought it might be too salty. Will try again and not drain beans. But it was still a great hearty soup and I want to try with sweet potatoes as others suggested. Any other guesses why my batch was “bland?”
Yep. This was dee-lish! I love not having to rinse the beans. (Cuz I’m so lazy!) This was an excellent way to use up some of the five containers of veg. stock in my freezer. I added a whole bunch of sweet potato as well, and a lot of kale too.
Thank you, Isa for the sunday night soup inspiration!
This would be great with some limes!
I’m making this for the second time right now. I put in jalepenos and it’s deeelicious. Thank you for the recipe!
This was sooooo good! Instead of using oil. I just used vegetable broth to cook my onions. I am trying to stay away from oils and it was so good, especially w/ avocados.
I’ve eaten this everyday this week for lunch. So delicious! It tastes awesome with slices of avocado (w/ salt and lime juice squeezed on) used to scoop up the soup. Thank you!!
So now I am soaking my black beans tonight, this looks perfect for tomorrow.
So yummy!!! Loved it
I made this the other night and it was amazing. So good I’ll probably be making it again in the next day or two. Really great recipe.
Damn, my black beans were salty as hell. And like a fool I didn’t do a taste test and added another bouillon cube (because I only used 1/2 of one, which according to the package is equivalent to 1 cup of chicken broth, I subbed water for the rest).
So now I have a soup salty enough to curl the hair on the saltiest of sea dogs. Still edible, just needs a lot of avocados on top (I also threw in some kale).
Next time I’m gonna monitor the saltiness for sure. Thanks Isa!