When I’m sick (yes, I got sick—my body’s way of saying look, you’re on the couch anyways…) I like to eat foods that are acidic and spicy. No noodle-soup, give me something to wake up my nasal passages and energize my stuffy head. And if nasal passages and stuffiness doesn’t get your tummy growling… this tomato & black bean soup will do the trick.
It’s more acidic than my regular black bean soup, with equal parts tomato and black bean. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce lend a spicy smokiness that screams earthy, complex… sexy. (Because who doesn’t need a bit of sexy in their sick-day soup?)
If you can, find some fresh oregano to use for the soup. Fresh and dried oregano are really different animals. Dried oregano is too piney, akin to thyme, and gives off a deep, woodsy flavor—great for a sauce but, as I didn’t want to feel like I was eating a bowl of marinara, too strong for this soup. Fresh oregano, on the other hand, is mild (depending on the type of fresh you have, some are pungent, mine was mild) and citrusy, with a touch of bright bitter. If you wrap up a bunch of fresh oregano and drop it into the soup, you’ll add a taste that will seem clean on the palate, a bright flavor that’s non-acidic. It’s a way to counterbalance the tomatoes without adding a dairy, and I think it gives the soup that hidden-flavor mysteriousness that I like to call the sumthin’-sumthin’. And, since this recipe is almost entirely made from canned goods, herbs elevate it into freshness. If you don’t have fresh oregano, go for marjoram or cilantro or even nothing at all; just don’t substitute dried.
If you’re short on time, you can serve the soup after about 15 minutes of medium-heat simmer time, but I like to simmer low and slow—over low heat for about 45 minutes—before pureeing the soup a bit with the immersion blender and serving. If you don’t care for thick soups, you can nix the pureeing for a more minestrone-consistency. You could also add some grated cheese and sour cream to garnish but if you’re eating this during a cold, eat it plain. Your nasal passages will thank you.
Smokey Tomato and Black Bean Soup
serves a few hungry people as a first-course or lunch
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- half of one (7 oz.) can of chipolte peppers in adobo, with sauce
- 1 (30 oz.) can black beans, drained
- 1 (28 oz.) can fire-roasted whole tomatoes, with liquid
- 1 cup water
- 1 small bunch fresh oregano
- salt, pepper
Take half of peppers out of the can, split them open with a paring knife and scrape out the seeds. Discard seeds. Chop peppers.
Add oil into a big saucepan or medium dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, cooking until they begin to brown. Add garlic and chilis and about half the adobo sauce. Cook for a few minutes.
Add black beans and tomatoes with liquid and water. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, leaving them in chunks. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam if you are particular like that, and then lower the heat. Add fresh oregano and simmer gently for the flavors to meld, 15 minutes if you are famished, 45 minutes if you can wait. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Tags: beans
November 19, 2008 at 7:35 pm
nothing like a little ‘heat’ to make one feel better. I love the creativity of kicking up the traditional black bean soup with tomatoes and chipoltes. I’m thinking a squeeze of fresh lime will take it right over the edge!
November 19, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Yum yum yum. I like the addition of adobo, kill that cold!
November 19, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I am totally trying this one!
November 19, 2008 at 9:24 pm
awwwww, feel better soon! and this looks delish. xoxo
November 20, 2008 at 9:17 am
Not being sick myself when Robin made this, it was just the teeniest bit acidic for me (now I’m in trouble!), so I fried a few eggs over-easy and dropped them in my bowl. Delicious! (But you should know, I am an egg nut.)
November 20, 2008 at 9:44 am
Half a can of Chipotles? Wow, that’ll clear your nasal passages! I usually think things are pretty darn spicy with just a chipotle or two. Soup when you’re sick is even better if someone else will make it for you!
Hope you feel better soon
November 20, 2008 at 10:00 am
I’ve also got a little bit of the cold thing going on and last night I made a huge pot of French Onion soup (I’m not a chicken noodle girl either) spiked with lots of Red Pepper Flakes, wish I had seen this before I started cooking sounds wonderful.
November 20, 2008 at 11:48 am
I love chipotles! They add so much flavor: pepper, heat, smoke…great in a soup like this or in chili, or even just smeared on a hamburger
Hope you are feeling better soon.
November 20, 2008 at 12:35 pm
RecipeGirl: Half a can only yielded about 3 chiles (most cans I see are small, but I’m going to make that more specific) but with the sauce it did come out spicy (and leftovers got spicer by the day). I liked it that way, but I’m sure an addition of sour cream or a fried egg (like Jim likes) would lessen the heat.
Thanks to everyone for your comments, I’ll slowly (ugh) getting better!
November 20, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Damn, Robin, you really need a break!!! This soup looks wonderful!
November 20, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Feel better and thanks for sharing the recipe. Love black beans and I too am a spicy when sick kind of gal.
November 20, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Sorry to hear you are sick.. this looks awwesome though!
November 20, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Great timing! Hubby is sick and he loves the sinus clearing effect of chili. Thanks for the recipe and hope you feel better soon
November 20, 2008 at 9:35 pm
That looks marvelous! A side of guacamole would be perfect
November 20, 2008 at 10:23 pm
This looks fantastic, but I am sorry you are sick. Poor girlie
November 21, 2008 at 11:27 am
Feel better soon! Hope this yummy soup helped.
November 21, 2008 at 11:48 am
I love a good black bean soup whether I am sick or just in need of a good warm bowl of comfort. This is a wonderful looking recipe, and my hubby would be thrilled with the chipotle kick.
November 21, 2008 at 4:20 pm
mmm, gimme black bean soup any day! hope those spices kick you back into gear.
November 21, 2008 at 6:37 pm
the whole oregano description/explanation?
priceless…
feel better
eat more soup
December 11, 2009 at 8:29 pm
As a Cajun from Louisiana I’d suggest that you try a well seasoned Chicken Gumbo to open up those sinuses. If you’d like a recipe, let me know and I’d be more than happy to oblige.
Jessica from Louisiana
December 11, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Hi Jessica,
I’d love an authentic recipe! Jim and I have long wanted to visit Louisiana, but we’ll have settle for the cooking while we save up for the road trip.
Thanks for visiting the blog.
Robin