Heather say:
Sure beans are economical, but are meatless meals actually tasty? They can be. My husband, who as a rule, cringes when I say “black beans” requested an enore of this soup in the near future. This vegetarian recipe is better when it has simmered for a while and is perfectly suited for the crockpot.
- ~ 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 onion – diced small
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 carrot – peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 pound black beans – soaked
- 2 quarts water
- 1 1/2 TBSP vegetable base*
- optional garnish with cheese and sour cream
Heat the olive oil in a large pot (or skillet if transferring to a crockpot) over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic, cook until soft, stirring often. Add the grated carot and cook for another two or three minutes. 
Add the water, vegetable base, and beans.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least an hour stirring occasionally.
Garnish and serve.
Notes:
- Mash or puree some of the beans for a thick and hearty soup (shown).
- For the carnivores use chicken stock or broth and add some shredded chicken or turkey
- If cooked in a crockpot transfer to the crock after the carrot is soft, allow to cook on low for several hours.
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ooooh! LOVE black beans! Sometimes I add some corn and a little cocoa powder and cumin and we call that New Mexican style. I usually serve beans with some kind of grain (rice, tortillas, or cornbread) to get the protein complementarity.
Being married to a man who spent all his growing up years in Brasil, I have incorporated this South American favorite into our diet in dozens of ways. I had never eaten a black bean until I met him, and until the late 80’s we had to have them brought in from Mexico. Now that they are ubiquitous in the U.S., we don’t have to ration them anymore and we enjoy them in everything imaginable. Well, okay, I haven’t figured out how to get them in a dessert yet, but I just might one of these days!
I think I may have missed it, but would you repeat what is in the vegatable base. Thanks!
It’s somewhat like a bouillon cube. If you look in your grocer near the soups, you should be able to find something called Better Than Bouillon, it comes in a bunch of flavors with no MSG and it’s lower in sodium. However, if you can’t find it and aren’t vegetarian chicken bouillon or chicken broth in place of the water will work just fine.
How should you cook this if you use canned black beans to speed everything up?
I have another recipe for black bean soup that we’re quite fond of- it uses cumin- but this one has carrot which is interesting. And the vegetable base is different too…
The carrot is different. We love black beans. Black bean salsa in the summer, soup in the winter!
Made this for the first time tonight. It was great! Super easy and inexpensive. I added chicken and a tad of red pepper to kick it up a notch. Yumm