This recipe was born out of a visit from friends on a cold and rainy day – I wanted to make something hearty that would heat us all up from the inside and this soup fit the bill perfectly. It was such a hit! Serve with a loaf of crusty and cheesy bread to soak it all up.
Makes 4-6 servingsIngredients
| 2 Tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 | onion, finely chopped |
| 1 | carrot, large, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, minced |
| 1 | stalk celery, finely chopped |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 6 | sprigs thyme, fresh |
| ¼ tsp | sea salt, plus more to taste |
| 1 Tbsp | tomato paste |
| 1 can | black beans, 540 mL, drained and rinsed well |
| 1 | chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped |
| 4 Cups | chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water) Garnishes: sour cream, cilantro (if it doesn't taste like soap to you), lime wedges, chopped tomato, crumbled tortilla chips |
Directions
- Preheat a large saucepan over medium heat. Once heated, add oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic – stir to coat. Sweat vegetables for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally; then add the sea salt. Add tomato paste, stir well to incorporate and coat the vegetables and cook an addition minute.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans, chipotle and chicken stock. Stir well to combine. Increase heat until liquid is bubbling gently and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Once simmered, remove bay leaves and thyme stems (leaves will have fallen off into the soup by now). Transfer half – or all if you’d prefer an entirely pureed soup – of the soup to a blender and blend for a few seconds. Be careful not to over-fill your blender and begin on low speed as the hot liquid can spill out of canister. Pour the blended soup back into the pot with the rest and stir to combine. (Alternatively: use an immersion blender to puree soup until desired texture is reached). Taste soup and adjust salt level according to your taste. Ladle into bowls and serve hot. Garnish as desired.
