Black bean soup with bacon and a splash of Sherry is truly a magical combination. Serve this as an appetizer or light main course.
The road to my husband's culinary heart is not a difficult one to follow. Contented sighs and groans of satisfaction are guaranteed with any meal that involves Mexican flavors, such as Rick Bayless' Smoky Peanut Mole with Pork Tenderloin, or black beans. While living in New York City, we ate a couple of memorable meals at Danny Meyer's acclaimed restaurant, Union Square Cafe. While this recipe is my own, I did borrow one of Union Square's serving ideas for their black bean soup. When the soup is brought to the table, a shot of sherry is offered. Stirred into the soup, the fortified wine lends a heady aroma and luxurious flavor. However, if you prefer to abstain, this soup is filled with layers of flavor that are sure to satisfy.
When I mentioned to my husband that I was going to make one of his favorites for dinner, his comment was, "How about with bacon?" Knowing that I am responsible for the majority of bacon consumption in our house, he knew this request would light up my eyes light a Christmas tree on a snowy night. The bacon is crumbled on top of the soup and an extra layer of smoky, salty flavor is achieved by cooking the vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Besides some simple vegetable chopping, this soup takes very little effort to make. The vegetables are cooked until soft, then the black beans and broth are stirred in. The soup is then left to bubble away happily on the stovetop for half an hour. After a quick puree, it is ready to serve. If the soup is your main dish, serve with a green salad and a crusty loaf of bread to round out the meal.
How to make black bean soup
Place strips of bacon in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Set aside to drain on a piece of paper towel. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
Pour the reserved bacon fat into a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add celery, red jalapeno pepper, and green pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softening, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ground cumin and black beans, and stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, partially cover the saucepan, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Only skip this step if you enjoy decorating your ceiling with hot soup. Using an immersion blender (or a blender or food processor - you will have to do this in batches), puree the soup until almost smooth. Be sure to leave some small pieces of black beans for texture.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, bacon, and cilantro. If desired, pour a small shot (1 to 2 teaspoons) of dry sherry into each bowl and allow each person to stir it into the soup.
Other bean soups
Printable Recipe
Black Bean Soup with Bacon & Sherry
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped red jalapeño pepper seeded & membranes removed, if desired
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cans (14 ounces each) black beans drained & rinsed
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 teaspoons dry sherry
- Sour cream and minced cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place strips of bacon in a large nonstick skillet and set over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is crisp. Set aside to drain on a piece of paper towel. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
- Pour the reserved bacon fat into a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add celery, red jalapeno pepper, and green pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softening, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add ground cumin and black beans, and stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, partially cover the saucepan, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a blender or food processor - you will have to do this in batches), puree the soup until almost smooth. Be sure to leave some small pieces of black beans for texture.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, bacon, and cilantro. If desired, pour a small shot (1 to 2 teaspoons) of dry sherry into each bowl and allow each person to stir it into the soup.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Pretend Chef
Mr. Sideline Chef is harder to feed than our toddler, haha! You are lucky in that respect to have a man who is easy to please. I love anything with black beans and this sounds and looks incredible. The photo with the bread has me drooling on the laptop!
warmvanillasugar
Great soup recipe! This looks perfect for cool day.
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food
I'm always up for hearty soups in general and black bean soup in particular. Perhaps because I live in Florida, I always associate it with Cuba and always make the Cuban version of this soup. I love you intriguing idea of including sherry in the soup and am itching to give it a try. Sounds delicious!
Elin
CC...this is such a lovely black bean soup and with sherry in it...just nice for the cold weather and healthy too! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Cheers,
Elin
marla {family fresh cooking}
Dara, this is such a nice soup. It sounds so elegant, especially that presentation at the Union Square Cafe. Those are some nice memories 🙂
Fromagette
Mmm, sherry... I do believe I will need to opt-in!!
Kalyn
Oh yes please. Everything about this sounds good.nep
My Kitchen in the Rockies
My husband absolutely loves this kind of bean soup, too. I will take the recipe to try. Thanks for sharing.
Pegasuslegend
This is very different from what I'm used to. Love the flavors incorporated in this dish, love the color too, nice job, sounds like your husband had a wonderful dinner with you since its his favorite, I always love when we visit new places we take away a new food too!
Estela @ Weekly Bite
This looks perfect for the cold weather! I love black bean soup 🙂