Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Sopa de frijoles negros
A thick, smoky-sweet black bean soup built on a classic onion, pepper and garlic sofrito, warmed with cumin and oregano and brightened with a splash of vinegar. Partly blended for creaminess without any cream.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 63% · Fat 16% · Protein 21%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 large150 gyellow onion, diced
- 1 medium120 ggreen bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 leafbay leaf
- 3 cans (15 oz each)765 gcanned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups950 gwater
- 1 tbsp15 gred wine vinegar
- 1/8 tspsalt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 1/4 cup40 gred onion, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)
- 2 tbspfresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 1 medium67 glime, cut into wedges (optional)
Steps
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- 2
Add the diced yellow onion and green pepper and cook, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
- 3
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4
Add the cumin and oregano and stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices.
- 5
Add the black beans, water and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
- 6
Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes.
- 7
Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- 8
Blend about one third of the soup with a stick blender in the pot, or in a blender and return it, to thicken.
- 9
Stir in the red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper, then simmer 5 more minutes, adding a splash of water if too thick.
- 10
Taste and serve topped with chopped red onion and cilantro, with lime wedges on the side for squeezing in place of extra salt.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use a seeded jalapeño or poblano in place of the green bell pepper if you want a little more heat.
- Swap the red wine vinegar for an equal splash of fresh lime juice or sherry vinegar if that is what you have on hand.
- Replace the three cans of beans with about 4 1/2 cups of home-cooked black beans if you prefer to cook dried beans and control the salt.
- If you like a creamy dollop like the one in the photo, use a plain unsweetened coconut or cashew yogurt to keep the soup vegan and dairy-free.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours, and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot and adding a splash of water as it thickens. The soup also freezes well for up to about 3 months; keep the onion, cilantro and lime garnishes separate and add them fresh.
Make ahead
You can make the whole soup 1 to 2 days ahead and reheat it, as the flavor deepens overnight. Chop the red onion and cilantro on the day you serve and keep them chilled until needed.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Sulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (508 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 236 kcal | 46 kcal |
| Protein | 12.6 g | 2.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38.5 g | 7.6 g |
| of which sugars | 2.8 g | 0.6 g |
| Fiber | 14.7 g | 2.9 g |
| Fat | 4.4 g | 0.9 g |
| of which saturated | 0.7 g | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 817 mg | 161 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
