Simple & Spicy Black Bean Soup

I love cheap and easy recipes. Like, more than any other kind of recipe. I like to make things that cost next to nothing, feed me multiple times, and can be made all in one pot with only a handful of ingredients.

And lets face it, just about everyone right now is trying to learn how to be a bit more frugal, right? Whether you are facing a lay off or are just trying to pay off loans or are saving for a rainy day, its nice to not spend all of your cash on food. I love food - cooking is one of my main hobbies - but I still wish I could spend less money on it. And most days I don't really feel like spending any effort on it either.

This is one of the mains reasons I love both beans and soup. Beans are cheap and versatile, there are like a million different kinds, and soup goes a looong way. I like to make a large pot of soup and freeze all the excess in individual sized containers for fast and easy meals later on. This is one of my brainless week-night go-to soups - its ridiculously simple using just a few ingredients from my pantry (which makes it that much easier on the cash flow) and easy to make and clean up. Its just a simple thick and slightly spicy soup; you can dress it up with sour cream or crema, cotija cheese, rice or polenta, and it can stay in the freezer for up to six months.

See HERE for some of my other favorite soup recipes.

For more info on beans, including tidbits on nutrition, frugality and preparation and storage - check out this awesome post on Phytophiliac.

1 heaping tbs sliced pickled jalapeños (of course you could use fresh peppers instead - but I tend to just use things I always have in my pantry, and this is one of those things)

4 cups chicken or veggie stock, 2 cups water

olive oil

salt and pepper

In a large stock pot, heat a few tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft - around 10 minutes. Add the garlic and lime zest and saute until fragrant, around 1 minute. Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne, jalapenos, and lime juice. Let combine for around 30 seconds. Add the black beans and toss together.

Add the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for around 3o minutes, then cover and simmer for another one and a half hours or until beans are very soft and liquid has reduced somewhat. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it - sometimes you might need more water. (I know this sounds like a lot of cooking time, but you can just get it simmerin' and then go about your business)

Taste and season as necessary. Blend with an immersion blender (or in a blender in batches) until smooth. Serve warm with any of the following: baguette, polenta (my favorite), a scoop of rice, sour cream or crema, fresh cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese. So many ways to liven it up :)