Black Bean Soup With Lime-Pickled Red Onions

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A bowl of black bean soup garnished with lime-pickled red onion and avocado

Prep Time:

80 minutes

Number of Servings:

Recipe Source:

Soup Nights by Betty Rosbottom ($35, Rizzoli, 2016)

Ingredients

Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
³⁄₄ cup diced celery
2 ¹⁄₂ tsp finely chopped garlic
2 ¹⁄₂ tsp ground cumin
1 ¹⁄₄ tsp oregano
³⁄₈ tsp chipotle chili powder plus more for a spicier taste
Kosher salt
4 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed well and drained
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock (can use vegetable stock as well), plus more if needed
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

Garnish

1 large red onion
¹⁄₄ cup lime juice
Kosher salt
¹⁄₂ tsp sugar
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, plus 2 tsp more for garnish
2 ripe avocados, cut into ¹⁄₂ inch cubes

Directions

In a large, heavy pot over medium heat, heat oil until hot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute more. Stir in cumin, oregano, ³⁄₈ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt. Stir 1 minute more. Add black beans, chicken broth or vegetable stock, and cinnamon sticks.
Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until soup has reduced by about a third (to about 8 cups) and has thickened, 40 to 45 minutes. Season soup with salt to taste, and with ¹⁄₈ teaspoon chipotle chili powder if you’d like more heat. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. (Soup can be prepared one day ahead. If preparing ahead, cook to this stage; cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat, stirring often. If soup is too thick, thin with more broth.)
For the Lime-Pickled Red Onions, peel and then halve onion through root end. Cut each half crosswise into very thin slices to yield 1 ¹⁄₂ cups. Transfer onions to a medium nonreactive bowl and toss well with lime juice, salt, sugar, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Marinate onions for 30 minutes; they will still be crisp. (Onions can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before using.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with pickled onions (spooning a little of the marinating liquids along with them), diced avocado, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Pass extra onions in a bowl.

Nutrition Info:

598 Calories, 28 g Protein, 83 g Carbohydrates, 20 g Fiber, 20 g Total fat (3 g sat, 12 g mono, 2 g poly), 123 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Folate, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, ★★★★ Vitamin B3 (niacin), Magnesium, Phosphorus, ★★ Vitamin B6, C, Calcium, ★ Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), E, Pantothenic acid, Zinc