Thank you for your patience friends as I caught up with my zooming-fast end-of-summer life. I had the vision for this recipe in my mind but needed to make time to test it and then get some good photos with nice lighting to do it justice!
Black bean soup has been a favourite of mine for many years. It comes together pretty simply, is full of flavour, can be enjoyed with many different sides and toppings and is packed with veggies and fiber. And then recently, while living and eating communally with a bunch of farmers from all over the world, someone served me feijoada for the first time and I fell in love. I heard folks attribute the dish to both Brazil and Portugal (which makes sense, given those regions’ shared history through colonialism). I did some research and found many different recipes of this black-bean-based soup, and they always included some combination of sausage, ham hock, bacon, or other salty, smoky meats to boost the flavour.
So this recipe I have for you is not a traditional feijoada, but rather my trusty black bean soup recipe with an added smoked pork ingredient to make it that much more delicious. I have it here with rice, but also delicious to scoop up on corn chips!
Feijoada-Inspired Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (I used fresh cherry tomatoes from the farm and halved or quartered depending on size)
- 2-3 peppers
- 1-2 onions
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 14 oz canned black beans
- 2-4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsp paprika
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (according to your spice level tolerance)
- 2 cups diced smoked ham
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 tbsp white flour (optional)
Instructions
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I find it helpful to prepare all ingredients in a mise en place style for this recipe. So, dice tomatoes (if using fresh), peppers and onions. Crush and mince garlic cloves. measure out and combine spices. Dice ham.
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To a soup pot, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add onion, garlic and peppers. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the veggies start to soften.
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To the pot, add the can of black beans (including liquid – do not drain), tomatoes, and spices. Mix to combine, and then add broth until all ingredients are just submerged. Increase heat and bring to a simmer (5-10 minutes).
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Remove the pot from heat. Either use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup, or spoon 2-3 cups of soup into a stand blender, combine, then return to pot. The goal here is not to create a completely homogeneous liquid, but to break down a portion of the beans and veggies to help thicken the broth.
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Return the pot to heat and add the diced ham. Allow to simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes. Add broth if needed.
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While soup is simmering, cook your rice according to directions.
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If your soup is thinner/more watery than you'd prefer, you can mix a tbsp of flour into a slurry with broth, and stir into the pot.
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Serve your soup over rice, or with chips/tortilla for dipping. Enjoy!