Chipotle Black Bean Soup

To Soak the beans: Cover the beans with about 4-6 inches of water. Soak the beans for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

To make the Chipotle Black Bean soup: Peel and dice the onion. Seed and dice the bell peppers.  In a large pot, combine the onion, peppers, cumin, marjoram, and paprika.  Cover and sweat over medium heat, 5-7 minutes, until the spices are aromatic.
Drain and rinse the soaked black beans. When the spices are aromatic and onions have softened, they are done sweating. Add the rinsed beans, garlic, bay leaves, dried chipotles, baking soda, and 6 cups of water. Cover, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 75 minutes, or until the beans are tender.

When the beans are completely tender and falling apart, they are done.

To finish the soup: Remove the bay leaves and discard. Remove the chipotles, take out the seeds of the chipotles, and add the peppers back to the pot. Add the salt.  Use an immersion blender or a stand blender to puree the soup until smooth.  Taste to adjust seasoning and enjoy!

Chef Katie’s Tips:

You can throw everything in a slow cooker set to “Low” for 8-10 hours. If using an Instapot or pressure cooker, use the “Bean” to cook the beans.

Faster Cooking: For faster cooking, use canned black beans. You’ll need about 3 cans (10 cups) of cooked black beans to equal the 1 pound dried beans. Simmer the beans with the peppers and onions for 10 minutes before pureeing.

Spice to Taste: For more heat, keep the seeds in for one of the peppers. Start “mild” and then add more pepper (or seeds) to fit your taste.  For less heat, start with just one chipotle pepper. If you prefer no spice at all, omit the chipotles. Instead, add 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika. You’ll get the smoky flavor without the heat.