Black Bean Soup

I love black beans. And black bean soup has always been one of my favorites, so when I saw this recipe over at Happy Fit Mama for Roasted Corn Black Bean Soup, I could hardly wait to try it out. I didn't have any peppers, roasted corn, or zucchini, so I had to modify it a bit with what I had on hand.

The last soup I made had been a complete disaster, so I decided to stick to the recipe instructions for this one and not attempt to make it in the slow cooker. It probably would've been fine since there is no kale or pasta in this soup, but I didn't want to risk it. I mean, really, it doesn't take that long on the stove top anyway.

I did, however, risk making this with the salvaged broth from the disaster soup. Turns out, it was a risk well taken. It cleared out some space in my fridge and tasted pretty good in the soup. Well, it didn't taste bad, at least.

Black Bean Soup

Yield: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup frozen, crinkle cut carrots
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 T chili powder
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups (or 1 15.5-oz can) black beans
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• avocado (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• shredded cheese (optional)
• cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium high. Add onions and carrots. Cook until slightly softened.
2. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes and corn.
4. Reduce heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with optional toppings such as shredded cheese and sour cream.

This was seriously so good! I think it would be even better with the roasted corn, peppers, and zucchini, but then it probably wouldn't be Jeff-approved, so this will work for us.