Home » Recipes

The Best Black Bean Soup

ByCatherine Perez Updated on
Jump to Recipe

This black bean soup is hearty and full flavored with zesty chilies and rich spices like adobo and sazón. Easy to cook for a quick weeknight dinner or perfect to meal prep for the week ahead. This soup definitely does not disappoint.

Close up shot of the soup topped with lime, jalapeno, and avocado.

Why I think this soup is the best black bean soup

  • The flavor combination of the Ro-Tel, adobo and sazón make this soup the perfect savory soup with more rich, earthy, and peppery notes.
  • It’s warmth from the smoky spices and perfectly velvety consistency make this soup ultra cozy.
  • It’s nutrient dense thanks to the beans and vegetables mixed into each spoonful.

The main ingredients displayed including cans of Ro-Tel, black beans, and tomato sauce. Then an image of diced ingredients including bell pepper, onion, celery and lime.

Key Ingredients

  • Ro-Tel: a blend of vine-ripened tomatoes and zesty chilies that help to awaken the flavors of this soup
  • Adobo and Sazón: Latin seasoning salts that help to amp up flavor and citrusy notes in the dish
  • Tomato Sauce: helps to provide extra body to the soup and naturally thicken it
  • Canned Black Beans: makes this soup come together fast
  • Garlic: make it fresh cloves and make sure you use at least 4 or more in this soup for ample flavor

A before and after of sautéing all of the base vegetables and spices together in a large pot, and then the after of adding all of the canned beans, tomatoes and broth.

How to make this soup

  1. Start by sweating your onions and celery with a pinch of salt in an oiled pot.
  2. Layer in the flavors one at a time by next adding in the peppers and garlic, allowing garlic to cook until fragrant.
  3. Continue layering flavor by focusing on blooming your spices, by stirring and sautéing allowing with the vegetables.
  4. To the pot add the Ro-Tel, tomato sauce, and whole cans of black beans.
  5. Pour in vegetable broth and bring your mixture to a boil. If mixture tastes too acidic, add in a bit of sugar to help cut down on the acid.
  6. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Pot of soup towards the back with a bowl of soup sitting up front with a spoon in it and a bowl of brown rice behind it.

Tips for making the best black bean soup

  • You can find Ro-tel at all major stores typically along with the canned tomatoes. If you can’t find, feel free to replace with a 15oz can of roasted tomatoes.
  • I used adobo and sazón seasonings from the small business company Loisa. If you don’t have access to these seasonings you can see a simplified recipe for both adobo and sazón by taking a look at my Latin Style Latin Soup post.
  • Don’t want to use the canned beans in their sauce? Feel free to rinse well, but I would add an extra 1/2 cup water and lightly mash some of the beans towards the end of cooking. Doing this will help thicken the soup, and you can mash as much as you prefer until your desired consistency is achieved.
  • Highly recommend a little squeeze of fresh lime overtop of your soup. It really helps to pull a lot of the flavor notes together and complements all of the spices included in the soup.
  • This soup can be stored in the fridge for 5 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months. It helps to freeze in smaller servings so that you can pull out the amount you wish to thaw and eat.

Bowl of black bean soup topped with jalapeno, lime wedges and diced avocado with a bowl of brown rice to the side.

More Soup Recipes

Bowl of soup off to the side from a bigger pot of soup and a bowl of brown rice.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Bowl of black bean soup topped with jalapeno, lime wedges and diced avocado with a bowl of brown rice to the side.

The Best Black Bean Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

This black bean soup is hearty, full flavored with zesty chilies, rich spices and citrusy notes. Easy to cook for a quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tsp olive oil or 2 tbsp vegetable broth
  • 1/2 medium onion (diced)
  • 1 stalk celery (chopped)
  • 6 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 10 oz can of Ro-Tel no salt added (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
  • 2 tsp sazón
  • 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 cans black beans
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional but helps to balance the acid from the tomatoes)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot set to medium heat, add oil, onion, celery and green bell pepper with a pinch of salt and sauté until onion softens.
  2. Stir in garlic and red bell pepper, continuing to stir until garlic is fragrant.
  3. Add in sazón, adobo, cumin, and oregano and stir well to combine and cook for about one minute.
  4. To the pot, add tomato sauce, Ro-tel, and black beans with their liquid.
  5. Stir your mixture and pour in vegetable broth and sprinkle in sugar.
  6. Mix and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Totally optional, but a squeeze of lime juice overtop is heavenly.

Notes

You can find Ro-Tel at all major stores typically along with the canned tomatoes. If you can’t find, feel free to replace with a 15oz can of roasted tomatoes.

I used adobo and sazón by the company Loisa. If you don’t have access you can see a simplified recipe for both on my blog under my Latin Style Latin Soup recipe post.

Don’t want to use the canned beans in their sauce? Feel free to rinse well, but I would add an extra 1/2 cup water and lightly mash some of the beans towards the end until you get the consistency you like.

Did you try this recipe?

Tag @plantbasedrd on Instagram, so I can share your creations!

Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats

★ Catherine

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star