Ultimate Black Bean Soup

This black bean soup recipe is not only delicious but it’s also extremely quick to make. It uses canned black beans, canned diced tomatoes, a touch of Canadian bacon, and it’s topped with the fresh flavors of tomato and cilantro.

This black bean soup is hearty and flavorful. I served it for dinner alongside chicken sandwiches last week. One of the things I like best about this soup recipe: there are a bunch of optional toppings that everyone can decide to add, or not to add.

Making Black Bean Soup

To make this ultimate black bean soup you first lightly brown some Canadian bacon. Remove it from the pot. Then you put canned black beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic and cilantro into a blender to puree it up. Add the puree to the pot. Heat it through. While it’s heating, finely chop the Canadian bacon and then add it.

Also, during that time you can chop up some fresh toppings for the soup, if you’d like. I like fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, lime wedges, and queso fresco. You can use shredded cheddar cheese instead. You could also go in with some diced avocado and/or some crispy tortilla strips. So many delicious ideas to try.

Vegetarian Adjustments

I should let you know that you can easily make this into a vegetarian black bean soup by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. To make it into a vegan black bean soup, skip the cheese. For a boost of meaty flavor to either a vegetarian or vegan version, add a few drops of vegan Worcestershire sauce (the regular version has anchovies).

If you’re in the mood for more vegetarian soups, have a look at my delicious basic vegetable soup. It’s full of flavor and is ready super-quickly, just like this one.

Ultimate Black Bean Soup

• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Entrée
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Southwestern

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DESCRIPTION

This black bean soup recipe is not only delicious but it’s also extremely quick to make. It uses canned black beans, canned diced tomatoes, a touch of Canadian bacon, and it’s topped with the fresh flavors of tomato and cilantro.
You can jazz it up more by topping each serving with diced tomatoes, queso fresco, extra cilantro, green onions, crushed tortilla chips, or any other Tex-Mex toppings that you love.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. sliced Canadian bacon or ham, minced
• 3 (15 oz.) cans low-sodium black beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup cilantro leaves (plus more for serving)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon slices. Cook until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Remove to a cutting board.
2. Meanwhile, empty the cans of black beans and diced tomatoes with their liquid to a large blender. Along with the garlic, chicken broth, ½ cup cilantro leaves, salt, and pepper. Pulse until all is in very small pieces (if your blender isn’t big enough, do this in two batches).
3. Put the bean mixture in the pot over medium-high heat and cover it, stirring every few minutes until heated through.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop the Canadian bacon and add it.
5. Serve soup hot topped with additional fresh garnishes, if you’d like.

This post originally appeared in July 2014 and was revised and republished in September 2021.