It’s summer and some of us are trying to survive out here in this brutal heat. Trust me. I would know. Here in California, it has pretty much been 100-degree weather for weeks. We have been experiencing a serious heatwave. And, this heatwave has had me eating only cold foods such as sandwiches and salads. However, one can only have so much of that before their belly longs for a hot meal. So, I embarked on making Black Bean Soup. Yup. Some good ole belly-warming soup! And, the best part about it? I used exactly the ingredients that I had on hand. I for sure was not going to leave my house to grocery shop in 100-degree weather. So, I had to work with what I had. 

Now, this recipe is relatively easy to make. To whip up this meal, a can of black beans, some diced onion, diced bell pepper, olive oil, water, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, pepper, and a little bit of lime juice (optional) is all you need. The lime juice gives it just a little bit of acidity. Like I did, you probably already have these ingredients on hand. The blend of all of these ingredients makes the soup taste just delightful! I’m so glad that I decided to make it. If you want some kick to it, feel free to add in either some cayenne pepper, chili powder, or crushed red pepper. I chose to leave the hot spices out of this recipe. I felt like my body would overheat, in this treacherous summer weather. 

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Black Bean Soup

Recipe by Recipe Helper

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 small onion, diced

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 15 ounces black beans

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 2 cups water or vegetable broth

• 1 teaspoon lime juice

Directions

• In a medium-sized pot over medium-high, heat olive oil and saute onion and bell pepper until tender (about 5 minutes).
• Next, reduce heat to simmer and add the black beans, garlic powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and water/vegetable broth. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
• Take out half of the soup and blend. Transfer blended soup back to pot and stir.
• Add lime juice and serve with tortilla chips or bread. Enjoy!

To make this, first, heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onion and bell pepper until tender. Next, add in the seasoning and toss it with the onion and bell pepper. Then, add in the black beans and either water or vegetable broth. I chose to use water since I did not have any vegetable broth on hand. Give everything a stir and simmer it for about 20 to 25 minutes. After simmering, an optional step is to puree part of the soup then, pour it back in the saucepan. However, you can forego that part if you would much rather eat all the beans whole. Pureeing helps to thicken the soup. To finish it off, squeeze some fresh lime juice. Pair it with some tortilla chips or a crunchy piece of bread. 

After making this soup, I curled up on the couch with a good book while my air conditioner was on full blast. And, I simply enjoyed every single slurp of this homemade Black Bean Soup. Ironically, I found solace in my hot bowl of soup while avoiding the even hotter outside weather. Hopefully, this soup can become a staple in your home. As you can see, it is easy to make and requires minimal ingredients. It is perfect for those summer days when you just want something easy to whip together. I hope you understand that even in 100-degree weather, a hot meal is nice to enjoy!