Easy Black Bean Soup

I work at home, which is great! My hours are super flexible; I can take off entire days and spread out my missed hours over the weekend; I can log hours whilst literally in a pool.. I really wouldn’t change it for the world. Except for when it comes to lunch.

Urgh.

Everyday around 11 a.m., the thought begins to creep up on me… what am I going to make for lunch today? Ramen doesn’t count as a vegetable just because there’s hydrolyzed soy protein in there…and it’s not really the grown-up thing to do to eat cold cereal for every single meal. 

I revel in that time, kicking back, catching up on Downton Abbey or The Only Way Is Essex (Yes. I do.), over a plate of… of what?! A bowl of…. of what?! I look forward to this break and to the wholesome food I can whip up for myself, but coming up with ideas that don’t take too long, are reasonably healthy, and taste totally delicious are few and far between. Enter, the easy black bean soup.

I don’t think this soup could be easier, and I’ll tell you it’s better than any black bean soup I’ve had! Pretty bold words, eh?

What I love about this black bean soup is that it’s so versatile–you can really do just about anything you want with it–but at its most basic form, it’s delicious, filling, and comforting. And takes about 5 minutes to pull together. So… I eat a lot of this for lunch. Like… probably too much.

Is there such a thing?

Besides being insanely quick, delicious, and versatile, it’s crazy cheap, too! Also a requirement for the daily lunch dilemma–no $5 frozen tofu tikka masala dinners for me. It costs about as much as a can of refried black beans. Even less if you’re using leftover homemade refried beans (which I definitely recommend). If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll stir in some leftover chipotle aioli, vegan sour cream or yogurt, pickled jalapeños, whatever. You could even sauté up an onion and a couple cloves of garlic before plopping in your refried black beans  I mean… are you sold yet? It’s about 11 a.m., and I’m getting hungry! I know what’s on the menu today, don’t you?

Make this!

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Easy Black Bean Soup

The easiest black bean soup you could possibly imagine. So versatile and delicious, a perfect lunch or quick, cheap dinner.

Course Soup

Cuisine Latin

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Author Cheryl Malik

Ingredients

• 2 cups refried black beans (from a can or homemade)
• 1/2 cup water or stock
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• recommended garnishes: chipotle aioli (see note), "sour cream" or yogurt, Mexican hot sauce, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Whisk 'til smooth and cook 'til heated through. Ladle into serving bowl(s) and garnish. Serve.

Recipe Notes

For chipotle aioli, try blending in one chipotle pepper, about 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce, and a squeeze of lime to about 1/2 cup vegan mayo, like my tofu mayo. Thin with alt-milk to taste; season to taste

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