Cuban Black Bean Soup

Cuban Black Bean Soup

from simple-veganista.com
50 min

A healthy, hearty, veggie filled cuban black bean soup that's absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried black beans (or 4 cans – 15 oz.), rinsed and drained (see notes)
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cored and chopped
  • 2 bay leafs
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
  • juice of one orange + orange halves
  • himalayan salt and pepper to taste
  • diced tomatoes
  • onion
  • vegan sour cream
  • lime wedges

Directions

  1. 1

    The night before, rinse beans in colander with cold running water. Pick through and remove any broken or shriveled beans. Place beans in large pot with 5 or 6 cups water and cover to soak overnight.

  2. 2

    Next day, drain beans and rinse again. Place beans back in pot, add water, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 1 hour, drain and rinse.

  3. 3

    Juice the orange and set the juice aside. Reserve the orange halves for the soup.

  4. 4

    To the pot of freshly cooked beans, add the bay leaves, garlic, cumin, paprika, onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, water/broth, orange halves, salt and pepper, reserving the orange juice for later. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour, or until beans and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add extra water as necessary (I used another 1 cup of water).

  5. 5

    Once beans are tender, remove the orange halves and bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to blend soup to desired consistency. I blended about 3/4, leaving some chunkiness. You could also use a food processor/blender (this method may take two batches to complete). Blending is optional, you may like it chunky as is. Add the orange juice to the pureed soup and cook another 5-10 minutes.

  6. 6

    To Serve: Serve alone or over a bed of cooked buckwheat, farro or brown rice. Top soup with a dollop of Sour Cream, Lime Cilantro Cashew ‘Sour Cream’ or Paprika Cashew Crema. You may also like to top it with diced onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado, jalapenos, a squeeze of lime and/or cilantro.

  7. 7

    Serves 4 generously, or 6 smaller portions.