The Best Black Bean Soup
This hearty and delicious Black Bean Soup is a quick and easy dinner recipe made from canned black beans, pasta, bacon, and vegetables. It is perfect for taking care of leftovers, and you can easily adapt it to make it vegetarian!
Servings 6 people
Calories277.6 kcal
Cost $ 0.75 per person
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 pot
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 5 strips of thick smoked bacon chopped (omit it for a vegetarian or vegan version, and use about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to sautee the veggies)
- ½ large yellow onion chopped ( or use white onion)
- ⅓ cup diced carrots if using baby carrots, simply slice them into rounds
- ⅓ cup diced celery
- 30 ounce can of black beans or homemade black bean leftovers (or 2 cans of 15 ounces each)
- 4 cups beef stock or vegetable stock for a vegetarian recipe
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes and their juice
- Salt and pepper to taste You may add a pinch of ground cumin if you want, and also red pepper flakes or hot ssauce to make it spicy.
- 1 cup mezzi rigatoni pasta or any other small pasta of your choice such as macaroni or pasta shells. For making it gluten-free use gluten-free pasta and for making it low-carb, use low-carb pasta.
- 1 bay leaf
- Chopped cilantro or parsley or green onions
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: In a medium to large non-stick saucepan, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and sweat them for about 3 to 5 minutes in the bacon fat.
- Sauté the veggies: Add the onions and sweat them for about 3 to 5 minutes in the bacon fat. Add the carrots and celery and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the other ingredients: Add the beans, beef stock, tomatoes and their juice, salt, and pepper to taste, pasta, and bay leaf.
- Simmer: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes (or until pasta is cooked). Remove the bay leaf and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped cilantro/parsley, and serve with bread. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To make a vegetarian version of this Brazilian minestrone soup, omit bacon and add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the recipe in order to sauté vegetables. If desired, other vegetables can be added to this soup such as ⅓ cup of chopped potatoes, pumpkin, or butternut squash.
How to Store
- FRIDGE: Store our black bean soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You may have to add just enough broth to the soup before reheating. The pasta tends to absorb most of the soup broth during storage time.
- To make it in the Instant Pot, press the saute function, and let the pot heat for about 2 minutes. Then, follow the steps 1, 2, and 3 for the stovetop method above. Then, press cancel!
- Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and set the time to 5 minutes to cook the soup on high pressure, or use the soup settings and adjust the time to 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then manually release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and the bay leaf. Adjust the seasonings and stir the cilantro. Enjoy!
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and follow steps 1 and 2 for the stovetop method above. Transfer the bacon and vegetables to the slow cooker pot.
- Add the beans, beef stock, tomatoes (and their juice), salt, pepper to taste, and bay leaf. Secure the lid and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. About 30 minutes before the cooking time comes to an end, stir in the pasta, cover, and let it cook on HIGH for 20-25 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
- Remove the bay leaf, adjust the seasonings, stir in the cilantro, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 277.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.4g | Protein: 15.8g | Fat: 8.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 12.1mg | Sodium: 1050mg | Potassium: 917.2mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2.9g | Vitamin A: 1273.6IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 84.7mg | Iron: 3.8mg
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
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