Black Bean Soup

Although I'm sad summer is coming to an end, I do look forward to making homemade soups and stews. Black bean soup is a very hearty soup, super high in fiber, and so inexpensive to make. It's perfect topped with low fat sour cream and fresh chopped herbs such as chives, cilantro or scallions. Cooking the vegetables on the side, and adding it to the soup rather than cooking them all together, really adds to the flavor of this soup. If you are on Weight Watchers, soups are such a great low point, low fat meal option.

I've been getting a lot of requests for freezer meals so I've added a label to the recipes on my site that I think would freeze well, you can find them under Freezer Friendly Recipes in the right column. This soup recipe is perfect for freezing and reheating. Freezing meals by portion to use throughout the month for lunch or dinner is a great way to save time and money, and also makes counting points easier. Recipes that freeze well are soups, sauces, stews, chili, uncooked meatballs or meatloaves, and casseroles.



Black Bean Soup 
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: about 1-1/2 cups • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 234.4 • Fat: 2.6 g • Protein: 13.6 g • Carb: 40.1 g • Fiber: 19.6 g 

Ingredients:

For the beans:

    •    1 lb dry black beans
    •    1 small bell red pepper
    •    1 small onion, quartered
    •    2 cloves garlic
    •    3 bay leaves

For the soup:

    •    1 tbsp olive oil
    •    1 large onion, minced
    •    1/2 cup chopped parsley
    •    1 red pepper, minced
    •    2 medium carrots, shredded
    •    5 cloves garlic, minced
    •    1 tbsp red wine vinegar
    •    1/4 (2 oz) cup white wine
    •    1 tsp cumin
    •    1 tsp oregano
    •    1 chicken bullion (vegans use vegetable bullion)
    •    salt and black pepper


Directions:

Rinse beans and place in a large pot with about 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let the beans sit, covered for one hour. (Or you can let them soak overnight in cold water)

Drain the water, then add 8-10 cups of cold water when ready to cook.

Add 1 bell pepper, 2 garlic, small onion and bay leaves to the beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about an hour, or until tender, stirring occasionally. (Add water if necessary)

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil on low. Add chopped vegetables (onion, parsley, carrots, pepper, garlic) season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

Add the vegetables to the soup after it has simmered an hour, then add wine, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bullion, salt and pepper and adjust water if needed. Cover and simmer on low about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, then using an immersion blender, partially blend the soup for about 10 seconds to thicken. If you don't have an immersion blender, put about 3 cups of the soup in a blender, then add it back to the pot. Adjust salt, pepper and cumin to taste and ladle about 1 1/2 cups into each bowl. Top with sour cream (extra points), chopped onions, scallions, chives or/or cilantro and enjoy!