Soup Weather: Black Bean Soup

We thought we were getting close to summer, but we were all wrong. This Memorial Day weekend was cold and rainy. I actually made a big pot of soup over the weekend... for lunch. I can't remember the last time I made an actual lunch that was more than avocado toast, leftovers, or an omelette. It is definitely nice to have some free time now that school has wrapped up.

I was sad about the cold weather, but happy to use up a big container of frozen black beans I had sitting in my freezer to make this delicious Spicy Black Bean Soup. My favorite part about this soup is that it has very few ingredients. It is basically black beans, onion, carrot, garlic, and some spices (plus water and oil).

We made this soup once with dried beans and it turned out great but definitely takes a little long for normal weeknight meals. This time I used my pre-cooked beans and simmered it for 20 minutes or so before blending. Fast (if you use cooked beans), easy, delicious, healthy, vegan... and you can make it even better with tortilla chips. We skipped those this time in the interest of being a little healthier after a few weeks of too many restaurant meals. Finally, the recipe makes a lot so you can have leftovers for a day or two.

This may be the last warm soup I make until fall. If you are craving something warm and cozy during all of the predicted rain this week, make this soup and buy some tortilla chips to dip into it! And while I'm normally not a fan, the sour cream is also an almost essential topping.

Here's to hoping soup weather ends with the month of May.