Yield: about 8 cups
Instructions
- 1 ½ cups unsalted black beans, canned or cooked from dried
- 5 cups water* divided
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 jalapeño, optional
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup green peppers, chopped
- 1 can (284 ml/10 oz) original Rotel tomatoes*
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot add onions. Sauté until they begin to caramelize. View instructions to sauté without oil. Add the garlic and jalapeño. Stir about briefly to brown garlic then add the celery and carrots, along with only 1 cup of the water. Cover with lid, when it comes to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
- Stir green peppers into the hot cooked vegetables. Then add the Rotel tomatoes, oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, salt and the remainder of the water. Bring soup back to boil to meld the flavors.
- If you prefer a thick soup, puree half of the soup in a food processor and return it to the cooking pot. (or use an immersion blender)
- Add lemon juice, stir and serve.
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container, in the refrigerator up to 5 days or freeze for 3 months.
Note
- When cooking dried beans, use about 2 cups of the cooking water as part of the five cups of water. This will add more nutrients and more depth of flavor to your soup.
- Rotel tomatoes are a special blend of canned tomatoes cooked with green chilies. It’s an excellent addition if you like an extra punch of zesty heat. If you prefer your soup to be less spicy, then substituted with regular crushed tomatoes.