I really like black beans. Actually, I really like most of the bean and legume family, but I really like black beans in particular. They are relatively quicker cooking that other bean varieties and they work well as a base upon which to add a variety of spices and aromatics. This particular soup is just one iteration of black bean soups that I have made, but I did particularly enjoy this one.

I found this basic recipe on the Food Network Website here. I really didn’t do much looking for black bean soup recipes, as they’re fairly easy to put together. While I used the same aromatics combination presented in the recipe, I did add some additional spices of my own choosing, including allspice, clove, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. In the past I have added chili powder to the already present cumin to make a more “chili non carne” taste to the recipe, and have also placed a whole onion in the cooking liquid while the beans were softening under a slow simmer to add some onion-y flavor to the soup. I liked all of these flavor combinations and would do them again, but would also likely continue to experiment with other flavors.

Overall, this was a really good soup. The beans were cooked to the point that they were still whole but readily fell apart to mush given the proper application of pressure. The combination of spices enhanced the overall earthiness already inherent in the beans. Given its great taste and overall healthiness, I would definitely make this dish (or something similar to it) in the future.