Description
A hearty and flavorful Black Bean & Tortilla Soup featuring a blend of spices, black beans, vegetables, and corn tortillas, simmered to perfection and served with fresh toppings like avocado, feta, and pumpkin seeds for a comforting vegetarian meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 chopped peppers (any color)
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp cornmeal or polenta
- 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeños
- 2 x 400g cans black beans, including liquid
- a splash of jalapeño brine
- 4 small corn tortillas (or flour tortillas if preferred)
To Serve
- Chopped coriander
- Avocado, diced
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the base: Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, peppers, and crushed garlic cloves along with a big pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add spices and tomato purée: Stir in the ground cumin, garlic granules, and chili powder, followed by the tomato purée. Continue cooking for 5 minutes until the tomato purée has caramelized, enhancing the soup’s depth of flavor.
- Add liquids and main ingredients: Pour in the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, cornmeal or polenta, chopped pickled jalapeños, and both cans of black beans with their liquid. Add a splash of jalapeño brine to taste.
- Simmer soup: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook uncovered for 45 minutes, allowing the soup to thicken and the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Add tortillas: Cut the corn tortillas into small strips and scatter them into the soup. Allow the soup to rest for 5 minutes so the tortilla strips soften and integrate their texture.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped coriander, diced avocado, crumbled feta, and pumpkin seeds for added freshness, creaminess, and crunch.
Notes
- You can substitute corn tortillas with flour tortillas if preferred.
- Adjust the amount of chili powder and jalapeños to control the soup’s heat level.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- The use of cornmeal or polenta helps thicken the soup naturally.
- For a vegan version, omit the feta cheese or replace it with a plant-based alternative.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Keywords: black bean soup, tortilla soup, vegetarian soup, Mexican soup, spicy soup, healthy soup, easy soup recipe
