Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
I appear to be on a soup kick recently. This may be due to the fact that I haven’t really been grocery shopping in two weeks and I’ve been having to dig deeply into the pantry. So deep, find in fact, that the pantry is actually starting to look a little bare. It hasn’t been this bare since the week we moved in. But, I’m not knocking pantry meals. They’re usually quick, inexpensive and surprisingly delicious.
This morning I found myself in need of lunch. I take lunch pretty seriously, and have some requirements for my mid-day meal. It needs to be filling, nutritious, easy to eat at a desk (or meeting, or standing) and must be tasty. So I grabbed a couple cans of black beans, a huge jar of roasted red peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes and bulgur. Into the pot for 30 minutes with some garlic and spices and out came a surprisingly delicious soup. I actually wanted to eat some for breakfast, but held out.
Black beans and roasted red peppers compliment each other perfectly. A little cumin, cayenne, sweet paprika and sherry vinegar make this soup a little spicy, a little tangy, a little earthy. It just goes to show that you’ll always have a great tasting and healthy meal on hand if your pantry is well stocked.
On a side note, I promise this will be the last bean/soup recipe for a little while. I’ll post a fun one on Friday so stay tuned!
Other pantry meals:
Quinoa & Red Lentils
Sausage Bean & Barley Soup
Three Bean Vegetarian Chili
Green Rice & Beans
Sausage & Red Lentil Soup
Tomato Almond Soup
Double Curry Lentils
Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
I use an immersion blender to puree the soup a bit when it’s done. If you don’t have one, or don’t want to use your standard blender or food processor, just chop the roasted red pepper before you start. The texture will be more like a chunky chili, but the flavors will be just as good.
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 24 oz. jar roasted red peppers
1 28 oz. can Diced Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
1 cup bulgur wheat
4 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
big pinch cayenne pepper
good olive oil for drizzling
chopped spinach for garnish (optional)
Set a pot over medium heat and add all of the ingredients except for the vinegar, olive oil and spinach. When the liquid starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
If you’re using an immersion blender, pulse the soup until there aren’t any large chunks of tomato or red pepper. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Serve with a good drizzle of olive oil and a small handful of chopped spinach.
Makes 6 servings.