Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup loaded with corn, bell pepper, ground beef and smoky sausage in every spoonful. Easy on the budget and freezes beautifully for easy meals later in the month.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Black Bean and Corn Soup, Black Bean and Sausage Soup, Black Bean Soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 10

Servings servings

Calories 367kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

For the Beans

1 pound dried black beans *rinsed thoroughly, See Note #1 below for using canned beans
6 cups water

For the Soup

2 tbsp oil
1 pound ground beef *fat % of your choosing
12 ounces beef sausages *sliced into bite size pieces, See Note #2 below
1 large brown onion *diced, about 2 cups
4 large garlic cloves *minced or crushed, about 1 tablespoon
1 large yellow or orange bell pepper *roughly diced
8 oz frozen corn
1 can (15 ounces) fire roasted tomatoes *with juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 limes *juiced, about 2 tbsp
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups broth *veggie, chicken or beef as needed for consistency

Garnish

sour cream
green onions *diced

Instructions

Cooking the Beans

Choose one of the following methods:
Stovetop: Rinse beans thoroughly and place in a stockpot with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer about 3 hours, stirring once an hour, until tender. Do not discard the cooking liquid. Note that dried beans can take longer than expected to become tender, so start checking early and continue simmering as needed. Add more water partway through if the liquid evaporates before the beans are tender.
Slow Cooker: Rinse beans thoroughly and place in the slow cooker with 6 cups water. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, until tender. Check periodically and add water if the beans start to dry out before they're done.
Instant Pot: Rinse beans thoroughly and place in the Instant Pot with 6 cups water. Seal and cook on high pressure for 35-40 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before opening. Note: After pressure cooking, I often let the beans release naturally for a few hours. This is completely safe and won't affect the texture, it just fits my schedule better.
Using canned beans: Skip this step and use 4-5 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed, in place of the dried beans. Since canned beans don't provide the starchy cooking liquid dried beans do, add 3-4 cups broth, a little at a time, until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

Building the Soup

Heat a 6 quart stockpot (8 quart if doubling) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent.
Add the ground beef and cook thoroughly, stirring often to break it up. See Note #3 below if your ground beef is still frozen.
Add spices and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to bloom spices.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Pour in the cooked black beans with their liquid, and bring to a simmer.
Add the sliced sausage, bell pepper and diced tomatoes with their juice. Simmer until the pepper is tender.
Add lime juice and the corn and simmer until corn is heated through and tender, about 3-4 minutes.
If the soup is thicker than you'd like, stir in additional broth, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

Note #1- If using canned beans, substitute 4-5 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed, for the dried beans. Since canned beans don't provide the starchy cooking liquid dried beans do, add 3-4 cups broth, a little at a time, until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

Note #2- Any smoked beef sausage works well here. As it renders into the soup, the fat builds a ton of flavor. A jalapeño cheddar variety is incredible if you can find it, and a basic smoked beef sausage, like Teton Farms, is just as delicious.

Note #3- If your beef is still frozen, sear it as is directly in the pot. Once the bottom layer browns, scrape it off into the pot and flip the block to expose more surface to the heat. Repeat every minute or two, searing, scraping, and flipping, until the beef is fully cooked through.

Nutrition