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The HBHW Recommends
Black Bean Soup from Dried Beans
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- 1 pound dry black beans
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 to 6 carrots, sliced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
This recipe is not hard, but it does take a little bit of time for the beans to cook. In a large pot, soak the beans in 2 quarts of cold water overnight, or in 2 quarts of boiling water for an hour or two. After soaking, or the next day, drain the beans and cover them with fresh water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat. You want the beans to simmer gently for most of the cooking process. Cover the pot and simmer the beans for an hour. Add more water if needed, to keep the beans covered.
Taste the beans after an hour and see if they are tender. If they are, then you can add the vegetables now; if not, then let them cook another 30 minutes and try again. When the beans are perfectly tender add the vegetable oil, chopped vegetables and seasonings. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it. Put the lid back on the pot and simmer the soup for another 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. The soup will be rich and dark with vibrant colors from the vegetables peaking through. When everything is tender, it’s ready to serve.
Some people mash the beans a little bit to thicken the soup. You may do this or not as you like. I like it with dollops of yogurt on top, but it is also good with a few boiled egg slices decorating the top. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Ready for another good bean soup recipe? Try this Congressional Bean Soup next.
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One Response to “Black Bean Soup from Dried Beans”
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Website & Graphics by ccd
December 20th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Thank you for this recipe… I had intended to make black beans and rice for dinner tonight but inadvertently put too much water in and was wondering if the beans would break up themselves into a thick soup (my new agenda). I was planning on serving mine with dollops of yogurt on top too. I mixed some chopped scallions with the yogurt before hand to help the flavor spread. Cilantro and yogurt–or sour cream–are also great mixed together!
I like your recipe and now I know I’m not crazed that the beans are taking so long. And now I know I need to mash them myself..or use the blender, I suppose. I’m so used to making red lentils that break up on their own.
FYI: I linked my name to a Facebook Page that I help run called,GMO Truth Alliance. We’re helping educate people about our food supply and how genetically modified foods are now in so much of our food. Your recipe could easily be GMO-free(GMO=genetically modified organisms). Just stay away from the “vegetable oils” sometimes also labeled “salad oil” and the oils I’m about to mention. They almost always contain one or a more of the following oils: soy, corn, canola, cottonseed. Approximately 92% of all soy, 87% of corn, 90% of Canola and 85% of cottonseed grown in the US are from genetically-modified seed. Two main types: Round-up ready designed to be able to survive huge and frequent spraying of Round-up herbicide and then the BT Corps which actually produce their own pesticide in every cell of the plant–and in concentrations 1,000 times that of the BT that organic farmers use. There are all sorts of health and agricultural problems ensuing from these GM crops. Also check the ingredients in your bullion cube. Many of them have hydrolyzed soy protein, corn starch, cotton seed oil,etc.. Learn more by clicking on my name.
Now back to my soup—had to leave once already to check on it because I wrote so much. I used a bit of extra-virgin olive oil in mine
Happy cooking and eating! BTW, I love your blog title: “Hillbilly Housewife”–the font choices too. And cooking from scratch rocks!!! Thank you for creating this.
Elizabeth