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Black Bean Soup

Give yourself a much needed break in the kitchen and whip up this smoky, veggie-packed black bean soup for a meal that cuts way back on prep time, not flavor.

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Black Bean Soup recipe With Smoked Sausage sour cream, bell pepper and cilantro

An Easy Black Bean Soup, Studded With Smoky Sausage

This black bean soup recipe is so easy, we’re tempted to say it cooks itself. We’ll just say that it’s about the easiest, tastiest thing to come out of our kitchens in quite some time. Thanks to the help of canned black beans, this ridiculously simple, pretty-healthy meal comes together in literally just a few minutes.

Ingredients laid out for black bean soup recipe, sausage, chicken stock, black beans, onion, bell peppers and cilantro.

Can You Guess The Secret Ingredient In Our Black Bean Soup?

We’ve put our own spin on a classic black bean soup recipe with a few lively additions: smoked sausage, bell peppers, and plenty of garlic! The result is a black bean soup that’s full of deep, bold flavors and interesting textures. And, thanks to our trusty immersion blender, it’s also the creamiest black bean soup you’ve ever had, making it the perfect meal to share with your family any night of the week.

Onion and bell peppers sautéed in a soup pot.
Black Bean Soup With Smoked Sausage in a pot

What Goes In Homemade Black Bean Soup?

This scratch-made black bean soup strays a bit from that traditional black bean soup you might find in your mom’s trusty cookbook, but we’re confident you won’t hear any complaints. We’ve eliminated half the steps that a more traditional recipe might have (saving some serious time in the process) and added a few things to deepen the flavor and add even more punch to an already-delicious dish. Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need to make it:

  • Olive oil

  • Red onion

  • Garlic

  • Bell peppers

  • Chicken stock

  • Black beans

  • Cumin

  • Garlic powder

  • Dried oregano

  • Chili powder

  • Smoked sausage

Black Bean Soup recipe With Smoked Sausage, onion and bell peppers in a pot

How To Make Black Bean Soup

Got about 20 minutes? Then you can make this thick and creamy black bean soup! Here’s how:

  1. Sauté the veggies.

  2. Add the beans, chicken stock, and spices and bring all that yumminess to a boil.

  3. Place an immersion blender into the soup pot and pulse it a few times until the desired consistency is achieved. We like to leave some whole beans and veggies for texture. Immersion blenders are a dream for this kind of job, but if you don’t have one, you could easily just ladle a portion of the soup into your standing blender and then add it back into the pot.

  4. Add the sausage. (Also, be sure NOT to blend your sausage- trust us.)

  5. You’re done! All that’s left is to top this rich and smoky bowl of goodness with sour cream and cilantro and chow down.

A ladle of homemade black bean soup with sausage

Tips For Making Homemade Black Bean Soup From Scratch

  • Why Canned Black Beans: Dried beans have their place, but canned beans are just SO fast, and this soup is all about weeknight ease. Canned black beans to the rescue! After testing and retesting, we can say with lots of confidence that the soup is just as good with canned beans as dry (and vastly quicker).

  • Keep a stocked pantry: this soup really is a pantry recipe. If you’ve got a decently stocked pantry and spice cupboard, you’ll probably have most of the necessary ingredients on hand at all times. We’ve even started buying sausage and just throwing it in the freezer so that we can whip up this soup whenever the mood strikes or when I pressed for time and don’t want to resort to take-out.

  • Invest in an immersion blender. Immersion blenders are one of the most cost-effective, space-saving small appliances you will ever own. It may not seem like a necessity now, but once you own one you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. From spaghetti sauce, to mashed potatoes, to this creamy black bean soup—everything’s easier with an immersion blender!

  • If you’re storing your black bean soup in the fridge, we recommend eating it within a week. If you’d like to store it longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to three months in the freezer.

Black Bean Soup recipe With Smoked Sausage sour cream, bell pepper and cilantro

Is Black Bean Soup Healthy?

Our version of black bean soup from scratch may not be the healthiest out there, but we do believe it is the best! If you are trying to lighten your calorie count or are avoiding processed meats, this soup is easy to adapt into a very healthy black bean soup! Here’s how you can make this homemade black bean soup even healthier:

  • Swap low-sodium veggie stock for the chicken stock.

  • Opt for a chicken or veggie sausage made without nitrates, or leave it out entirely.

  • Skip the sour cream. Although it tastes delicious, this creamy black bean soup is a winner even without the added addition of that delightful dairy.

What To Serve With Black Bean Soup

It might be a little on the nose, but we just want crispy on the outside, and melty on the inside quesadillas. Here’s a few of our finest quesadilla recipes: Sheet Pan Quesadilla with Jalapeño Ranch, Baked Chicken Quesadillas, Roasted Poblano and Carnitas Quesadillas. Whip up a batch of Homemade Corn Tortillas or take it a step further and make Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips to top your black bean soup with a little crunch. A side of Green Chicken Enchiladas on the side also sounds absolutely fab.

Tools You’ll Need

4 More Quick, Easy Soup Recipes to Try!

Homemade Black Bean Soup With Smoked Sausage, sour cream, bell pepper and cilantro in a bowl.

Black Bean Soup + Busy Weeknight = Dinner, Done!

This easy black bean soup recipe comes together fast, is full of rich flavors, and is a truly satisfying meal at the end of a long day. If you make and enjoy this black bean soup recipe, we’d love to see who you shared it with! Post a picture to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can celebrate good food and great company along with you. Happy eating!

Black Bean Soup

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  25 min
  • Calories: 399

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 pound smoked sausage, 1-inch-thick sliced
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving, optional
  • Sour cream, for serving, optional
  • Minced red onion, for serving, optional

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and bell peppers begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes more.

  2. Add the chicken stock, black beans, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

  3. Transfer ⅔ of the soup to a large bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup in the pot until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, transfer ⅓ of the soup to the base of a blender, let cool briefly, and blend until smooth.) Return the soup to the pot. Stir in the sausage and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

  4. Divide the soup between bowls and, if using, top each with cilantro, sour cream, and minced onion.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories399
  • Protein23 g
  • Carbohydrates44 g
  • Total Fat8 g
  • Dietary Fiber16 g
  • Cholesterol0 mg
  • sodium634 mg
  • Total Sugars4 g

Black Bean Soup

Questions & Reviews

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  • joyce

    Does this soup freeze?

    Yes, you can. When you are ready to eat it we recommend thawing completely before reheating.

  • Meagan Marcuccilli

    Did you brown the sausage before adding it? It looks that way in the photos.

    Yes we did! But the sausage we call for is fully cooked, so you don't have to... we only did it so that it would look that much more delicious for the photo! : )

  • Sam

    Really Good! I used chorizo instead.

    Thanks Sam, we are so glad you liked it!

  • Christie

    This was delicious and really easy to make. I made it as written except for a couple of changes; I cut the sausage into smaller pieces and cut the amount in half, and I replaced the chilli powder with 1/2 tsp chipotle powder and 2 tsp smoked paprika. It turned out wonderfully and is now a new favourite. I paired it will a cornbread which went nicely with it.

    Love to hear this is a new favorite! Thanks so much for trying it and telling us how it went Christie!

  • Marina Pavlenko

    This was some delicious business. Simple ingredients and quick to make. I knew I had to make this soup after seeing it made on your Instagram page. I browned the sausage before adding it to the soup and also added kale. To be extra, I toasted sliced sourdough bread in the oil rendered from the sausage right in the cast iron skillet. Ohhh yeahhhh :D

    Thanks Marina! We are so glad you liked it, we are loving that bread fried in the sausage oil idea, nice work!

  • Karen K

    This recipe is amazing! Super tasty, especially with the cilantro and sour cream, add some avocado on top, too!

    Thanks Karen! So glad you like it!

  • Holly

    Very flavorful and delicious. I added tomato in place of the peppers and used fresh oregano and it was outstanding, served it with a side of rice in case anyone wanted to put it over the rice. Some people did and some did not and all enjoyed it immensely.

    Yay Holly! So glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for trying it out.