Best Black Bean Soup
Updated Nov. 22, 2024
- Total Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1small (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo (see note)
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2onions, peeled and chopped
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 1cup red wine
- 2jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1pound dry black beans (do not soak)
- 2quarts mild vegetable or chicken stock
- 1tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 2bay leaves
- 1tablespoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon ground black pepper
- Red wine vinegar, to taste
- 1small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- Freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes
- Salt
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Whole cilantro leaves
- Thinly sliced fresh chiles
- Sliced avocado
For the Soup
For the Pickled Onions and Garnishes (optional)
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Preparation
- Step 1
Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.
- Step 2
In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 3
Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.
- Step 4
Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.
- Step 6
Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
- Step 7
Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.
- Step 8
Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.
- If chipotle chiles are unavailable, use 1 tablespoon each ground cumin and ground coriander. Add to vegetables at the same point in the recipe, in Step 3.
Private Notes
Comments
Why puree an entire 7 oz. can of chipotle chiles in adobo if you only need two tsps? I would use one with some adobo and freeze the rest in a ice cube tray, for other uses.
I soak the beans overnight in a dark lager, usually Dos Equis, which adds additional earthy flavors.
To be honest, my Latin American friends and I have giggled a lot about Bittman's recipe. This is how a French-trained chef might make black bean soup, but this is how you make it for real from Brazil to Guatemala, where black bean soup is part of everyday cuisine: black beans, a full head of garlic (remove at end), lots of fresh thyme, bay leaves, and then salt and pepper to taste. That's it. No red wine or carrots -- get out of here with that! ;-)
Unfortunately we really disliked this soup. The flavor profile was wrong. Maybe it's the red wine? The texture was also unpleasant. Nobody in my family liked this. I never leave bad reviews for recipes here but this one was a real disappointment.
After reading the comments (from several years ago), I’d think twice before submitting a recipe. :)
I used Rancho Gordo Midnight black beans and they were perfectly cooked after following the directions as written, no presoaking. No extra cooking time was needed. I skipped the jalapeños but upped the chipotle puree by 1 teaspoon, and the soup had all the heat I could handle. Loved the lime-pickled red onions, but I didn't drain them or pat them dry. It was delicious so that the acid from the lime juice could enhance the soup.
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