Black Bean Soup with a Hint of Orange

Yield: 4 servings + leftovers maybe

For Valentine’s Day, my husband gave me the Sunday Soup cookbook and a Le Creuset soup pot. Oh, heart be still…

This version of black bean soup has a great combination of tang and heat from interesting ingredients ~ chorizo and fresh orange juice. It’s delicious, different and totally on your list of soups to try. I used canned beans. The original recipe called for dried beans, but I am committed to using ingredients in my pantry before buying new, so I changed it up a bit – with great results!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into quarters lengthwise and chopped (chorizo is pre-cooked; you can also use linguica)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 4 (14.5 oz) cans black beans, divided
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• optional garnish: dollop of sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and orange zest

Preparation:

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté the chorizo for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped onion to the pot and sauté for another 3 minutes in the fat generated by the chorizo (if you need to add a little olive oil to the pot, do so).
2. Add the oregano, red pepper flakes and a healthy pinch or two of salt and pepper. Sauté for another minute, until fragrant.
3. Add 3 cans of beans (rinsed and drained) to the pot along with the chicken stock. Turn the heat up and bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. While soup comes to a simmer, use a blender or blender stick to purée the remaining can of beans (rinsed and drained) with the orange juice. Add this to the soup pot while simmering. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with optional garnish.

Adapted from Sunday Soup by Betty Rosbottom