black bean & roasted salsa soup

I've begun to rely more heavily on beans in my diet. They're fiber-licious, super cheap and make my tummy full and happy. Black bean soup has to be one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare beans. If you're in a hurry, you can literally combine a can of black beans, a can of tomatoes or salsa, puree it up and your taste buds will be probably happy.

I wanted to go a few steps further than that so I decided to combine my Fire Roasted Salsa recipe with some freshly cooked black beans. This is still a very basic recipe that, although delicious on it's own, can be altered through additions and garnishes. Here are some ideas:

• For a creamier soup, add half & half, sour cream, plain yogurt or cream cheese
• Add a few chipotle peppers in adobe sauce for a smokier, spicier soup
• If you're in a meaty mood, smoked sausage would be PERFECT
• Top the soup with a variety of garnishes:
• pico de gallo
• avocados
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• fresh herbs
• lime wedges

Total Recipe cost: $5.87
Servings Per Recipe: 6 (1.5 cups each)
Cost per serving: $0.97
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 1 hr. Total: 1 hr 15 min.

I was able to make a trip to my favorite produce market which still had tomatoes for $0.99/lb. Because of that and other great deals, my prices may be a bit lower than you'll find in the grocery store.

INGREDIENTS		COST
3 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.30
6 medium	roma tomatoes	$1.29
4 cloves	garlic	$0.09
1 med	yellow onion	$0.50
1 med	jalapeno	$0.13
2 med	poblano peppers	$0.74
1 med	red bell pepper	$1.25
1/4 bunch	cilantro	$0.17
1 med	lime, juiced	$0.15
to taste	salt and pepper	$0.05
4 cups (2 cans)	cooked black beans	$0.80
1 Tbsp	chicken or vegetable bouillon	$0.30
3 cups	water	$0.00
1 tsp	cumin	$0.05
to taste	hot sauce (optional)	$0.05
TOTAL		$5.87

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the vegetables (tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeno) and cut into large chunks. Place vegetables on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables to coat. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the skins are bubbled up and brown (see photos below).

STEP 2: Remove the vegetables from the oven. Let them cool enough to handle then remove the skin and seeds from the poblanos and bell peppers. Place all of the roasted vegetables, any juice from the baking sheet and a handful of cilantro into a food processor or blender. Process until you have a fairly smooth, salsa-like consistency.

STEP 3: Combine the pureed vegetables and the cooked beans in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp of bouillion (vegetable or chicken) and 3 cups of water. Add the juice from one lime, cumin and salt to taste (I added 1 tsp of salt). Heat the mixture through (about 10-15 minutes).

STEP 4: Transfer about 2/3 of the soup to the food processor or blender and process again until smooth. Add it back to the pot and stir it into the larger chunks that were left behind. Give the soup a final taste and adjust the seasoning as needed (salt, pepper, hot sauce, cumin, cayenne, whatever you like).

Step By Step Photos

Coat the vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees until the skin is brown and blistered. I probably could have left these in the oven another 15 min. The aroma this mixture creates while roasting is UNREAL!


I roasted the poblanos whole so, once they were cool enough to handle, I removed the waxy skin and the seeds. The red pepper skin is rather tough as well so I peeled that off too. If you don't get all of the skin, don't fret. It just helps the texture of the soup if you remove them.


Put all of the vegetables plus a handful (or 1/4 bunch) of fresh cilantro in a food processor or blender. Puree until it looks like salsa.


Combine the cooked beans with the pureed vegetables in a large pot over medium heat.


Add the bouillon, water, cumin, juice of the lime and some salt if necessary (I added about 1 tsp of salt). Heat the mixture through (about 10-15 minutes).


Transfer about 2/3 of the mixture back to the food processor and puree again until smooth.


Stir the pureed mixture back into the rest. Give the soup a final taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.