Black Bean and Green Chile Soup is hearty enough to be a vegetarian entree, but also easy enough to make as an appetizer.
I love soup season, but it is rare that I find a soup that has enough body to fill me up as an entree. Let alone a vegetarian soup. Black Bean Green Chile Soup was my answer to this issue.
Top it off with queso fresco, avocado, Maldon salt and fresh lime juice. And cilantro… if you are into cilantro. I see you, cilantro hater turning up your nose.
I top mine with a pile of fresh veggies, cilantro, a spritz of lime and Maldon sea salt.
Why Our Black Bean Soup is the Best
A flavorful soup that’s full of protein but also vegetarian friendly- what’s not to love!
- Hatch green chiles – This is one of my favorite ingredients. During the season I roast, peel and freeze pounds so I can enjoy them all year round. They add awesome flavor to this soup.
- Vegetarian – Instead of a meaty protein, I used black beans and created a spicy tomato based broth spiked with Hatch green chiles.
- Easy to make your own – You can easily add shredded chicken, rice or your own seasoning blend to make this soup your own.
Ingredients
You can easily find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store. Some might be down the international aisle.
- Vegetable oil – You can use any neutral oil. This is for sautéing the onions and other veggies.
- White onion – Alternatively, you can use a sweet yellow onion. Chop them up as fine as you would like.
- Garlic cloves – I always prefer to use fresh garlic. The jarred stuff doesn’t add as much of a flavor punch as fresh minced garlic.
- Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce – You can find this in a can. Only use one chipotle chile if you prefer a mild soup.
- Tomatoes – For the sake of ease and simplicity, I used canned diced tomatoes. You can certainly chop up your own fresh tomato too.
- Chicken broth– I like to use lower sodium and then add my own salt. Use vegetable broth if you want to keep it vegan.
- Fine sea salt – Make sure to taste test before adding additional salt. No one likes a salty soup!
- Hatch green chile – Make sure these are drained and finely chopped. If you are using fresh Hatch chile, use two whole roasted and peeled chiles, finely chopped.
- Black beans – I prefer to use canned so that they are already soft and we don’t need to spend time soaking.
Topping Ideas
You can really top with soup with anything that satisfies your tastes. Here are a few of our favorites.
- Queso fresco
- Avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Maldon sea salt
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Salsa
How to Make Black Bean Soup
You are going to love how easy it is to make this delicious soup recipe.
- Sauté onions. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, sauté until they are soft and translucent, but not browned.
- Add garlic, seasonings veggies and broth. Add garlic, continue to sauté and stir for a minute. Add chipotle chili through seas salt. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Blend. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend mixture until smooth. Return to stove on medium heat.
- Add chilies and black beans. Stir in green chilies and black beans. Continue to heat for a few minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with crumbled queso fresco.
What to Serve with Black Bean Soup
As with any soup, there are plenty of delicious things you can serve with it. Because there is no meat, you can serve it as a side alongside something like salmon or chicken.
If you’re serving it as a main course, you can pair it with a nice leafy side salad. It would also be great with something like garlic bread or crusty bread.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can jazz this black bean soup recipe up to make it your own. Here are some of our favorite ideas.
- Meat – If you wish, you can even add shredded chicken or drained ground beef to your soup.
- Vegan – If you’d like to make this a vegan soup, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Make sure to leave the queso fresco off and sub for a vegan alternative.
- Veggies – Feel free to add more fresh veggies to this soup. Shredded carrot, diced red onions, chopped celery and chopped red bell pepper are all great options that add crunch.
- Rice – To give this soup a little more substance, try serving it over rice. Both brown rice and white rice would work perfectly.
- Spice – If you want to take the spice up a notch, try adding some chili powder, cayenne pepper or even a dash or two of hot sauce.
Storage and Freezing
Soups make great leftovers! And most of them freeze really well too.
How to Store Leftover Black Bean Soup
You can store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last up to five days.
How to Freeze Soup
I like to freeze soup in smaller portions. You can do this in airtight containers or freezer bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I am not a doctor, there is nothing in this soup that is particularly bad for you. Also, black beans are high in fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin B6.
There are no carb heavy ingredients in this soup unless you add rice. One serving of this recipe has 42 grams of carbs.
Every recipe is of course going to differ, but this black bean soup is made of onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes and hatch green chiles.
It’s a good idea to soak dry beans before using to make them softer. However, this recipe uses canned beans making it ready in only 30 minutes with no soaking!
More Easy Soup Recipes
There’s nothing like a good soup to warm the soul on a cold day. Here are some of our favorites.
Thai Coconut Soup
Instant Pot Pork Pozole Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Black Bean Soup Recipe (w/ Green Chiles)
Ingredients
Black Bean Green Chile Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium white onion , chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , chopped
- 3 small chipotle peppers in adobe sauce , chopped (1 chipotle chile if you prefer a mild soup)
- 1 14.5 ounce can can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 10 ounce can Hatch green chile* , drained and finely chopped
- 1 14.5 ounce black beans , drained and rinsed
Garnish
- 1/2 cup queso fresco , crumbled
- 1 avocado , chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro , optional
- 1 Jalapeno , sliced
- Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, saute for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent, but not browned. Add garlic, continue to saute and stir for 1 minute. Add chipotle chili through seas salt. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immersion/stick blender or food processor, blend mixture until smooth. Return to stove on medium heat.
- Stir in green chilies and black beans. Continue to heat for 5 minutes.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with crumbled queso fresco. Enjoy your Black Bean Soup and Green Chile!
Notes
- If you are using fresh Hatch chile, use two whole roasted and peeled chiles, finely chopped.
Nutrition
Terrific, even with canned (not Hatch) roasted green chilis
I made this for dinner when my vegetarian friends came over and it was a hit! Even with us meat eaters 😉
Sounds so good! Pinned it!