Black Bean Soup (de Frijol Negro Mexicano) Recipe

Featured Recipe of the Month from March 2008

We love Mexican food at The International Kitchen, and we love this easy black bean soup recipe. Perhaps this is no surprise, we live in Chicago, and Chicago is known for having some of the best Mexican food outside of Mexico. But whether traditional recipes or contemporary gourmet Mexican cuisine, we’re always up for Mexican fare.

This month we give you one of Chef Ana’s favorite traditional Mexican recipes for Mexican black bean soup; however, this is a version all her own. It’s a wonderfully hearty dish and easy to make. Serve this recipe for the best black bean soup to your friends as part of a Mexico-themed dinner party, or whip it up for an easy dinner!

For more information on Chef Ana and her creations, check out our culinary tour of Mexico, Hola Mexico!

See all of our cooking vacations in Mexico.

Please note:: This is actually a two-part recipe. The first recipe is to make the Frijoles de la Olla or cooked black beans. They can be used as a side dish if you are not making the soup recipe that follows. If you have leftover beans you can leave them in their broth, refrigerate them and use them later as a side.

Sopa de Frijol Negro Recipe

Serves: 6
Prep time: 120 minutes (to prep the frijoles de la olla)
Cook time: 15-20 minites
Cook method: simmer

Ingredients for the Frijoles de la Olla:

• 1 pound dry black beans
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 large sprig of epazote (you can use either dry or fresh)
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the soup:

• 1 cup of cooked black beans (frijoles de la olla)
• 8 cups of black bean broth (save the broth when cooking the beans!)
• 2 tomatoes, roasted and peeled
• ½ white onion
• 2 roasted garlic cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of whole cumin
• 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
• 1 jalapeño chile, roasted and peeled
• salt to taste
• Crouton garnish (recipe follows)

Instructions:

1. Clean the beans thoroughly. You are looking specifically for stones or bad-looking beans. Rinse the beans well and place in a large five or six quart pot or an earthenware pot.

2. Add the beans and two quarts of water. Add the epazote, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil and cover.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered until the beans are tender after roughly two hours. If you are familiar with a pressure cooker you can use that as well to speed up the cooking process.

4. Every now and then you will need to stir the beans and add water to keep the water level to about ¾ inch above the level of the beans.

5. After the beans are completely cooked, season with salt and let them simmer another 10 to 15 minutes to absorb the salt.

6. Remove from the heat and they are ready to serve in a bowl with the broth covering the beans. Save the broth!! You will need it for the soup.

See chef Ana’s recipe for traditional flan.

7. Continue by making the soup. Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until very smooth. You will have to do this in batches since the ingredients won’t all fit in the blender at the same time.

8. Cut the jalapeno chile in four pieces and add little by little so you can decide how spicy you want your soup.

9. Place the mixture in a sauce pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Goat Cheese and Crouton Garnish

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of soft goat cheese crumbled
• 3 cups of French bread cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions:

1. To make the croutons, place the olive oil in a large sauté pan.

2. Add the peeled garlic clove and cook until golden. Take the garlic clove out and add the French bread to the oil. Toss until all the bread is coated and toast until golden either on top of the stove or in the oven.

3. Sprinkle the goat cheese and croutons on the soup and serve.

Check out more of our favorite Mexican recipes:

• Sopa de lima
• Pozole rojo
• Chiltomate sauce

Ready to book your trip to Mexico on an authentic cooking vacation? Contact us to get started!

By Peg Kern

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