Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 3 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent and the peppers have softened.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, and cocoa powder. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until the oil turns a deep, dark red.
  4. Pour in the black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices, and vegetable broth.
  5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Use an immersion blender to pulse the soup 3-4 times, or transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender and stir back in to create a thickened base while leaving plenty of whole beans.
  7. Stir in the fresh lime juice and minced chipotle peppers. Taste and add salt and black pepper as needed.