Sausage Black Bean Soup

A no-fuss soup with simple ingredients.

Beans, rice, onions, chicken broth, and sausage are things I tend to keep consistently stocked at home, because they store well and are versatile ingredients. All five make an appearance in this soup, so if you keep these things around like me, this recipe could be a great backup plan to have on hand in a pinch or when you're low on groceries.

This is one of those recipes where I encourage you to not get too caught up in precision, you can improvise and taste test to tweak if you need to! Feel free to experiment with subbing in other beans, kinds of sausage, adding veggies like chopped kale or celery, or bringing in some spice or fun toppings.

One step in the recipe that I do recommend adhering by is blending some of the beans in order to thicken the soup. I usually blend about half and leave half intact, but you can play around with what you prefer in terms of texture and consistency.

---

Sausage & Black Bean Soup

Makes about 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 bell peppers, chopped

• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)

• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, loosely drained

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 1 (14 or 16 ounce) package kielbasa or other smoked sausage

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 1/2 tsp cumin

• pepper to taste

• cooked rice or other grain, to serve

Directions:

1. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, and peppers with olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium high heat until onions are clear, about 5-8 minutes.

2. Slice up the sausage and add, sauté for another 5-10 minutes.

3. Mix in about half of the black beans and broth, as well as remaining ingredients. While this returns to a simmer, take the remaining half of the broth and black beans, and using either a standup blender or an immersion blender in a bowl, pulse the combination until the beans are pureed. Add this to the pot and let everything cook for about 20-30 more minutes.

4. Serve in bowls over a bed of rice or other preferred grain.

Notes:

1. You can also brown the sliced sausage in the pot first, remove them to sauté the vegetables, and then add back in. I find this works better especially if I'm doubling the recipe.

2. If incorporating other vegetables, add them at the beginning with the others.

3. You can store leftovers in the fridge for a few days, or freeze in ziplock bags or containers for severals months. Just defrost in the fridge before reheating.

4. I like it plain over a bed of rice, but some topping ideas include cheese, cilantro, and avocado if you want to add some more goodness to the mix!

---