Cuban Black Bean Soup
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Cuban black bean soup is a rich and hearty dish that’s perfect for an appetizer or as a main meal. Serve it with lime wedges, diced red onions, and a dollop of sour cream. The original recipe from Cooking Light calls for dried black beans which adds to the cooking time.
I’ve adapted it for canned beans which means it’s easy to make for a weeknight. I do include instructions for cooking dried black beans the traditional way as well. This recipe serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as an appetizer.
Ingredients for Cuban black bean soup
I’ve omitted the ham in the soup, and serve it diced, on the side. During the holidays I’ll add a smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone. Liquid smoke mimics the flavor of the ham hock.
Sofrito
- green pepper
- onion
- shallot
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
Spices
- ground cumin
- bay leaves
- oregano
- sugar
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- liquid smoke
- lime juice
Remaining ingredients
- canned black beans
- chicken broth
- smoked ham hock or bone (optional)
Garnishes
Serve it with a variety of garnishes on the side. Let everyone add their own to suit their own taste.
- avocado
- red onion
- ham
- cilantro
- sour cream
- jalapeno or serrano pepper
- lime wedges
- pumpkin seeds
What is a sofrito?
This recipe starts with a sofrito which is the Latin American or Caribbean equivalent of the French “mirepoix’. It consists of green bell pepper, onions, and shallots. The sofrito is sauteed with garlic, then pureed and added to the black beans for flavor.
Cooking black beans from scratch
If you want to cook dried beans from scratch, there are two methods. The first way is to soak the beans overnight in a large pot of cold water. The next day, drain beans and discard the soaking liquid. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cover the beans with cold water, and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes to one hour.
The second method is the quick soak method. Place the dried beans in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover pot and let beans sit on the stove top for one hour. Drain soaking liquid and cook until tender, following the directions of the overnight soaking method.
How to make black bean soup
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add bell pepper, onion, and cook for 10 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add chopped garlic, cumin, oregano, cook 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool about 10 minutes. Puree sofrito in a blender using 1 cup chicken broth until smooth.
- Add puree back to the pot along with drained black beans and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add bay leaf, partially cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook beans until tender and soup is thickened, stirring occasionally about 30-45 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add lime juice.
- Using an Immersion Blender, partially puree the soup so it retains some of its texture.
- Serve with sour cream, diced red onions, avocado, diced ham, cilantro and sliced jalapeños on the side.
Make it vegetarian
To make this soup vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Serving the diced ham on the side means both vegetarians and non-vegetarians can enjoy this hearty soup.
What to serve with black bean soup
Serve with white rice or Cuban Papas Rellenas.
Looking for more bean dishes?
Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans
Mediterranean Rice Salad with Cannellini Beans
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
Sofrito
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
Remaining ingredients
- 3 14 ounce cans black beans drained
- 40 ounces chicken broth (5 cups)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 smoked ham hock (optional)
- 1 lime juiced
Garnishes
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1 lime cut into quarters
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeno or serrano chile sliced
- 6 ounces smoked ham diced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds toasted
Instructions
Sofrito
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch over medium heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper, onion and shallots and saute, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic, fresh and dried oregano and cumin. Stir 1 to 2 minutes just until herbs and garlic are fragrant. Remove from heat and sofrito to cool about 5-10 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of broth to the jar of a blender. Add cooled sofrito and puree until smooth.
Finishing the soup
- Add the pureed sofrito, drained black beans, salt, sugar, and 1 quart of chicken broth to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add bay leaf and reduce heat. Simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally until beans are tender and soup has thickened, about 30-40 minutes. Add lime juice.
- Using an immersion blender, blitz the soup 3 or 4 times to partially puree it. Soup should retain some chunky texture. Add additional broth if soup is too thick.
- Serve small bowls of diced avocado, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, sliced jalapeno, diced ham, lime wedges, and sour cream.
