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Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potatoes in this soup contrast nicely with the tang of the yogurt and the tartness of the lime. Aniseed lends an unusual hint of licorice flavor.Serves eight.Yields about 14 cups.

Vegetarian

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. aniseed
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts lower-salt chicken broth or homemade vegetable broth
Four 15.5-oz. or two 29-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
8 paper-thin lime slices

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 6-quart (or larger) Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and brown slightly, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, aniseed, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, beans, sweet potatoes, and 3/4 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over high heat; skim any foam as necessary. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, set aside 3 cups of the beans and potatoes. Puree the remaining soup in batches in a blender. Return the solids to the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with a dollop of the yogurt and a lime slice.

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 310; Fat (g): 6; Fat Calories (kcal): 50; Saturated Fat (g): 1; Protein (g): 17; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Carbohydrates (g): 51; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 370; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 11;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 96, pp. 83
October 23, 2008


user reviews

Star Star Star Star Star The soup had a really nice flavor. It was definitely much better the second day. A little time consuming to make. I would probably make this dish again.
Star Star Star Star Star Wonderful! Perfect winter soup, and healthy to boot! I've made it with fennel instead of aniseed, since I couldn't find it in my grocery store. A fine substitute! I just made it again and used star anise this time. I just threw one whole "star" in the pot along with the other spices. It added a nice, subtle anise-flavor.
Star Star Star Star Star Just spectacular. One of the best soups I have ever tasted. Only change I had was to use cloves instead of aniseed but only because I don't care for anise.
Star Star Star Star Star A great winter weeknight meal. I pureed a handful of cilantro with the beans and sweet potatoes. Also didn't have the anise seed, but did end up squeezing in a full lime and adding a bunch of hot sauce. Very tasty, and the yogurt mixed in was delicious. My boyfriend preferred it topped with cheddar and corn chips.
Star Star Star Star Star The soup was very easy and good but not great - I did add a jalapeno with the chopped onions. I may make it again because beans and sweet potatoes are healthy but I am tempted to add bacon or ham. Maybe I will roast diced sweet potatoes before adding to soup for more flavor.
Star Star Star Star Star
Star Star Star Star Star This soup was wonderful!
Star Star Star Star Star I initially found the soup to be quite bland. I left out the aniseed because I didn't have any, so maybe that would have made a difference. I think it would have been better with some bacon in there. I ended up squeezing some lime juice and adding chopped cilantro which boosted the flavor. It was also good as cold dish.
Star Star Star Star Star This was really easy to make, had good sweetness from the sweet potato, I used 1/2 t. of aniseed because I like the flavor. The next time I make it I plan to reduce the amount of stock to 6 or 6 1/2 cups, I would have like the soup to be a little thicker, but it did look just like the picture.
Star Star Star Star Star Definitely a comfort food! It has a sweet undertone which made it difficult to know when to stop adding salt.

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