Southwestern Vegetarian Black Bean Soup Recipe

4.25 from 20 votes

Hearty black bean soup with peppers, tomatillos, corn, and tomatoes. Finish as desired with any of the recommended toppings.

Prep Time10

Cook Time37

Pepper resting time5

Total Time47

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: Black Bean Soup

Servings: people

Calories: 232.8kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

1 large poblano pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper
1 ¼ cups chopped white onion
¾ cup tomatillos, husked and quartered
1 cup corn kernels frozen or cut from 1 large ear of corn
2 cups cooked black beans or 1 (15-oz) can
¼ cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
1 large tomato coarsely chopped
1 ⅔ cup vegetable broth or 2 tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon with 1 ⅔ cup of water
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or a pinch of sea salt, to taste

Roast the poblano pepper under the broiler until the skin is blackened all over, turning the pepper as needed. Place in a paper bag for five minutes.
Pull off the skin in strips. The skin is very thin and not all of it will come off. Slice off the top and open up the chile. Using a paring knife, remove all the seeds and white pith.
Coarsely chop and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium heavy pot over medium-high heat. I use a Le Creuset. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and tomatillos and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the corn kernels and sauté another two minutes.
Stir in the chopped roasted poblano pepper, chopped tomato, black beans, tomato puree and broth. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Optional: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until you reach the consistency you like. For me, it's about 10 buzzes of the blender as I move it around the pot.
Finish the chili with lime juice and salt (if needed). If you use Better Than Bouillon for your vegetable broth, you likely won't need to add any additional salt.
Add any optional toppings you prefer.