Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes || Active time: 20 minutes
My mailman rarely talks to me, but he made sure to tell me that this soup smelled great when I was cooking it. So, there you go, endorsed by the US Postal Service.
The thing about this soup, is that it’s almost the only time in the world where I don’t rinse the canned beans. The whole shebang is poured right in, creating a flavorful full-bodied broth that is so monumentally satisfying with the chewy quinoa. Of course, we have our usual black bean soup suspects — cumin, oregano, bay, cilantro — and all that flavor just gets sealed into the delicious broth. It’s familiar but definitely not ordinary.
You can certainly customize to your desires; add some kale at the end, maybe even potatoes with the carrots, or corn. I would have used jalapenos if I had some on hand, too. But the red pepper flakes provide a nice heat and this soup hits the spot if you’re craving something spicy and filling, that you can throw avocado on.
Notes
~If you’re wondering why I add only half of the broth at first, it’s so that it boils faster, thus cooking the quinoa faster. It’s just something I do.
~If you’re wondering why I don’t add the beans with the broth at first, it’s because when soup is thick, it takes longer to cook the quinoa. So I let it cook most of the way, then toss in the remaining liquids.
~Black beans tend to be salty, so I’m not adding a specific quantity of salt here. Definitely salt to taste!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced medium
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup quinoa
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 inch pieces or so
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 24 oz can black beans
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
For serving:
Avocado
Tortilla chips
Directions
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Saute onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and saute with the onions for a few seconds. Then add tomato, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or so, just to break down the tomatoes a bit.
Add quinoa, carrots and bay leaves, and then pour in 2 cups of the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes or so, until al dente (that’s mostly tender with a little bite.)
Add the remainder of the broth, the black beans with their cooking liquid, and the cilantro. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes or so, to cook the quinoa the rest of the way.
Taste for salt and seasonings and let sit for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry. Remove bay leaves and serve topped with crushed tortillas, avocado and cilantro.
Made this last night – SO good. And even better today! I used low-sodium broth so the overall salt ratio was fine. I also used canned diced tomatoes cuz it’s a little early for fresh (and I live in Chicago where it’s apparently never, ever, ever going to be warm again, so I may never use fresh), and they were great. I’ll try butternut squash in there next time! Thanks as always, Isa!
Made this for the first time tonight. It was my first black bean soup, and will most certainly be made again in this house. Delicious! Thank you.
Where can you get a 24oz can of black beans? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that size
I’m out of quinoa at the moment, but I do have green lentils and brown rice. Could I use either as a sub? If I use the lentils, maybe would I cook them ahead of time and put them in then? Thank you!
I have made this twice now super yummy!! Thank you for sharing.
Made it for our staff, 13 people total. It was a hit and folks were asking for the recipe. I used dried beans which I soaked and cooked, and canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh, to adapt this for a large group. Thank you, Isa, for another great recipe.
Super easy to make and full of great flavor!
This looks fantastic! Do you think I could use farro with the same results?
Farro takes so long to cook, I’d soak it in warm water overnight before adding it.
I am making this tonight. So excited!
Also, I just realized that I own the Appetite for Reduction book on Kindle, just never knew there was a blog too :/ hooray!
I made this tonight for dinner. Incredible! And so simple too. Thank you for the great idea. My husband says thank you also ha ha.
My fiance and I made this the other night and it came out super delicious! Thank you!!
Great recipe!
Simple to cook, inexpensive ingredients, takes just half an hour to prepare…top!
I added a tiny bit fresh thyme and a tablespoon tomato paste (personal taste) and removed the liquid from the beans before adding to the soup…
thanks a lot for that one!
This was fantastic. Very quick and easy.
Phenomenal! Thank you. I couldn’t handle keeping the bean liquid, but I did stick my hand blender in the pot a few minutes before it was done to puree some of it.
Just made this, and it is FABULOUS, even though I forgot the bay leaves. I’m new to the vegan world, so I was totally shocked at how great this is. AND, so easy to put together! And, cheap! Whoohoo!
My second time around. One word: bithcin`!!!!!!!! YUM! I ate the whole pot by myself in 2 days… shh.. ^_^
I made this soup for lunch today and my non-vegan husband says “Wow. This is easily the best soup you’ve ever made!” HAHA! Easy and tasty recipe. Thanks!!
I just made it! It is SO GOOD! thank you! I added okra because I had to use mine, I also added sriracha instead of the red pepper flakes, and I upped the water since I did not have any canned beans and added okra. YUM!
Isa, you have the baddest collection of recipes anywhere! Thanks for sharing.
Blessings and best wishes,
Gayatri
My wonderful vegan friend of mine sent me a link to your page and knew I had to make this soup when I saw it!! Just finished and had with warm naan bread and hummus. My organic black beans weren’t salty at all. I probably had more beans as I used 2 smaller cans which amount to more than 24 oz. Will be making this lots through the cool rainy winter months for sure! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes Isa 🙂
Thank you for this tasty recipe. We enjoyed it a lot. I think it will be one of my ‘regulars’ from now on. Merel (The Netherlands)
How could I have not commented on this recipe? This has become my go-to soup when I don’t know what to make for dinner. In fact, I make sure I always have these ingredients (or substitutions) ready to go so I can make this soup at a moment’s notice. It’s more than the sum of its parts — hearty, delicious and so easy to make.
It was really great. I added fresh lime, corn and put the avacado in then blended half. It was so great and healthy. Thanks again!
I’ve made this before and it’s delicious. It’s really great garnished with some sour cream or plain yogurt, tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, avocado and lime – yum! Making it right now!
I just made this tonight for dinner. It was awesome!! Also, I know it’s supposed to be a vegan recipe, but I made it not vegan… Instead of vegetable broth, I used chicken broth, and threw in some small chicken pieces. It was really delicious! My boyfriend and I both loved it, and were full after one bowl! Thanks for the great recipe!
Wow, is this great! Easy, simple, and delicious!
Well here i am searching online for a veggie black bean soup recipe. And Isa yours comes up. And i think of course dammit why didnt i look in your book on my shelf. I know what im making tonight now 😀
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging
for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is great, let
alone the content!
um yeah… i just ate 3 servings. mmm. maybe 4.
Amazing…. thats all that needs to be said….. thank you
Excellent. It’s now on the lunch roster.
This is deelish
Just made this. It was awesome! I think I went a bit heavy on the cilantro (what measurement cups?), but otherwise it was perfect, and easy to make.
This soup was really tasty but I definitely had saltiness problems. Although, I try to avoid salt in my cooking so maybe I’m a bit more sensitive. My nan who salts everything had no problem with the flavours
hmmm i am not able to pin any of the recipe on here for some reason
I know, I have to get that fixed!
I thought you needed to rinse quinoa.
This is a great, easy recipe! I used an organic version of something like Rotel, instead of tomato, skipped the bay leaf, used a 15 oz can of black beans, added 1/2 can of re-fried beans (stir in before adding the black beans and second amount of vegetable broth), and added an extra cup of vegetable broth. It was really great! I love adding the tomato/chili mixture and re-fried beans to every soup and/or chili.
PS. There have been a lot of comments about this recipe being too salty. The recipe doesn’t call for any set amount of salt. If you’re using black beans and broth that are salted , perhaps you should omit any additional salt (just put it on your table as an option).
Otherwise, get unsalted black beans and/or low sodium vegetable broth.
Cooking Quinoa Tips:
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/common-mistakes/article/5-most-common-mistakes-when-cooking-quinoa
I have a history of botching dinners I make for myself and my boyfriend. A long, sad history. But Isa to the rescue! I made this soup last night, it was totally doable, and it came out just beautifully. He LOVED it, I was proud that I made something so tasty. A big success! We ate it again for lunch today. Thank you, Isa!
This soup is so delicious and flavorful. I’ve already made it three times and plan on making it again this week. It’s just…mmmmmm. Sometimes I get tired of leftovers, but not this. I could eat the whole pot in one sitting if I’m not careful.
Recipe is simmering now. Made a few changes due to brain fart at the store, Tomatillo’s instead of tomatoes, added leeks and potato’s to thicken it up a bit.. smells AWESOME, can’t wait to dig in.
Keep up your awesomeness Isa!
Tried it, nailed it, will make it again. I used a bit more, tomatoes, quinoa and black beans but it was no problem at all. I just added more seasoning to compensate. Garnished with tortilla chips and avocado.
YYYUUUMMM!!!
This is my standby soup! Always delish and so easy to make! Keep the amazing recipes coming!
Cooking now – adding some sweet potatoes to the bottom of my bowl 🙂 The initial taste test was great! Thanks!
Had to make a few modification or allergies and this still came out fantastic! I omitted the tomato, quinoa, and garlic then halved the broth and spices and pureed, This one is going int he book for sure.