Black bean tortilla soup

Happy Meatless Monday to ya'! Hope you all had a great weekend. So despite the fact that I live here in sunny Southern California, it has been pretty rainy, and a little colder lately, and I have totally been in soup mode. And so, my black bean tortilla soup was born. It is super deliciousness. Think flavor explosion people. And the crunchy tortilla chips and creamy avocado just top it all of perfectly. But wait...it gets even better. Using the leftover soup I came up with a black bean queso dip that was maybe one of the best bean dips I have had. It was such a great way to use leftover soup! The bonus black bean queso recipe will be listed at the bottom, why, oh just because I love ya. :) 

Have a fab meatless Monday and make something plant based tonight!

Black bean tortilla soup

serves 6-8

printable recipe

What you need:

4 shallots

6 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

12 cups of water

4 vegan vegetable bouillon cubes (Rapunzel brand NO SALT added is great)

 4 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

7-8 corn tortillas, cut into smaller pieces

 lime wedges, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro,  and crushed tortilla chips for garnish

Making the soup:

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil, and saute the shallot and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the garnishes, and simmer for about 25 min.  Using an immersion blender blend the soup until smooth, or blend in batches in your blender. Taste the soup and add any additional salt if needed. 

ladle into a soup bowl, and garnish each bowl with a squeeze of fresh lime, sliced avocado, crushed tortilla chips and a few sprigs of cilantro.

Black bean queso dip:

Fill a soup bowl with a few cups of black bean soup. Add about 1/4 cup of hummus, 1/4 cup of pico de gallo, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, and sliced black olives. Squeeze fresh lime on the top and garnish with cilantro. Serve with chips for dipping.