Black Bean Soup With Poblanos

Baby, it's cold outside ... which makes me want soup! Black Bean Soup with Poblanos is a warming and delicious soup with less than ten ingredients. It can be made quickly and is nutritious, too!

Canned black beans or dried?

It's totally up to you! If you're in a hurry, canned beans work just fine. Eden Organics is an amazing canning company that does soak their beans for several hours before cooking so you'll get the same benefits by buying their products. I linked to them so you can read more about their amazing practices, not because I'm sponsored by them!

Soaking reduces the phytic acids, tannins, and polyphenols in legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds that prohibit the body's ability to absorb proteins and minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium. There's lots more info in my post on Dried Beans.

So, I guess this could be another plug for menu planning, which I am admittedly not great at! But benefits such as these spur me to be better!

For this recipe, you can either cook the dried beans ahead of time (my preference ... in the InstantPot) or you can add them to the soup to cook there. The second option requires that you start the soup 1-2 hours before dinner time so the beans have time to cook through ... and it might require a bit more chicken broth so be sure to have extra on hand.

What are poblanos?

Poblanos are one of my favorite peppers! They tend to be on the mild side although sometimes, they can pack a bite. Poblanos are dark green in color and about 4 inches long. They turn red when they ripen and are called ancho or chile ancho when they are dried. Poblanos are the pepper used to make chile rellenos, poblanos stuffed with cheese! Another favorite of mine! And check out the related recipes below for a couple of other dishes using poblanos right here on my site.

For the purposes of this recipe, the poblanos are first charred.

Three ways to char poblano chiles:

• Broil them under the oven broiler on a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet, turning occasionally until blackened, about 8-10 minutes.
• Put them on a very hot grill, turning consistently until they are blackened.
• If you have a gas stove, put them right on the grate over the flame and turn them as they blacken.

Cover them and let them steam for about 15 minutes. If you want, you can remove some of the blackened skin. Personally, I don't mind having some of the smoky flavor left. Then remove the seeds and chop the peppers to add to the soup later.

The soup base is onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a dried ancho. Cook the onions slowly, not browning them, then add the garlic. If you have a dependable immersion blender, you can add the tomatoes and ancho to the pot, then blend in the pot. If not, transfer the onions and garlic to the jar of a blender, add the tomatoes and ancho, and blend.

Isn't that gorgeous!? You let it thicken a bit over heat, then add some broth. Use chicken or make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock.

If you are using soaked, uncooked black beans, add them now and let the soup cook for 1-2 hours depending on the size of the bean and how long they soaked. You'll also need extra broth because the beans will absorb the liquid as they cook.

If you are using canned beans or soaked, cooked beans, add them 5-10 minutes before serving, along with the charred poblano peppers, just to warm them through.

How to serve Black Bean Soup with Poblanos

This isn't a Mexican soup per se, but it tilts in that direction so I love something "corn" and crunchy with it ... tortilla chips or Crunchy Cast Iron Cornbread. Top it with queso fresco (or feta cheese if you can't find queso fresco) and serve it with lime wedges to squeeze over. So good!