Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup

Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup is an easy dinner recipe that's hearty and filling, and just so happens to be vegan friendly and gluten free too! The delicate flavor of sweet potato is complemented by aromatic ginger, garlic, paprika and cumin.

I've been eating this Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup all week and I'm not sick of it yet! This soup is so wonderful because it's:

• filling without being heavy
• easy to make with pretty basic ingredients
• naturally gluten free and can easily be made vegan
• full of bright, aromatic flavors that perk up the mild flavor of the sweet potato and black beans, including ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika and lime!

If you're on the lookout for a healthy yet satisfying winter soup, look no further, this soup recipe is just what you need!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup:

• Sweet potatoes: you'll need about 1.5 lbs.
• Black beans: just one can, undrained
• Fire roasted tomatoes: if you don't have fire roasted, you can substitute a can of regular diced tomatoes
• Onion: one large, or two small. I used yellow onion, but you can just use any kind of onion you have on hand.
• Oil: to fry the onion. I used olive oil, but you can use your favorite cooking oil.
• Paprika: this gives the soup a beautiful reddish hue. For a more smoky, deep flavor, substitute smoked paprika!
• Cumin: this gives an earthy, smoky flavor to the soup.
• Fresh garlic and ginger: these are both so flavorful and aromatic, they really make a big difference in the flavor of the soup. Please don't leave these out if you can avoid it!
• Salt: I used kosher salt, but you can use any kind of salt you like. If you are using fine salt, start with a bit less than in the recipe and add more if needed.
• Stock/Broth: you can used homemade or store-bought. Any kind you like will work: chicken, beef, etc. To make the soup vegan, use vegetable stock!
• Lime: squeezing some lime juice into the finished soup adds some nice tang and brightness that contrasts beautifully with the other smoky deep flavors going on.

Helpful tips

Cut the potatoes into uniform, small pieces

I would say the most important tip to making this (very easy!) dish successfully is to cut the sweet potatoes small enough and in a uniform size. This is something I struggle with; I am always hurrying and tend to cut things in too-large pieces in an attempt to save time. But, this actually backfires because it ends up taking longer to cook the potatoes!

For this recipe, you need to peel the potatoes and cut them in about ¾ inch pieces, no larger! Do your best to cut them roughly the same size, within reason. As you can see in the above picture, however, mine are not perfect. But, just try your best, because if you have pieces that are vastly different sizes, the smaller pieces will start to break down before the larger pieces are cooked through.

Taste the soup and make final adjustments

When it comes to cooking, nailing the seasoning is the key to going from good to amazing. Here's how to do it:

• After the soup has finished cooking, the fresh lime juice is added. Start with ½ of the lime and taste the soup before adding more. The amount you need depends on how juicy the lime is and your personal taste!
• Also, when you do your taste test, assess the salt level of the soup. Do the flavors taste a little muted, even after adding more lime juice? An extra sprinkle or two of salt will work wonders!

Garnish and serving ideas

Garnish ideas: If you want to get fancy, you can garnish the soup with a small wedge of lime, or perhaps a splash of hot sauce, a dollop of sour cream, or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Cubes of ripe avocado would also be amazing! If you want to go the herbal route, chopped cilantro or parsley would work great and would add some nice brightness to the dish.

What to serve with Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup: To make a complete meal, serve the soup in large bowls with chunks of crusty bread and a hearty salad, or a side dish of roasted vegetables. Or, if you want, you can serve the soup as a side dish; it would go really well with a grilled cheese, patty melt, or even a sausage sandwich!

Storage tips

This soup stores really well in the fridge, eat within three to four days. To reheat, microwave in individual bowls or heat up in a small saucepan on the stove. In my opinion, the flavors intensify even more after a day or two in the fridge!

You can also freeze this soup if you want, but the potatoes lose some of their texture and get kind of mushy. So, for the best experience, I really recommend eating it fresh and keeping the leftovers in the fridge for a few days to enjoy.

If you’ve tried this recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!

And, if you love easy and flavorful soups like I do, these are some more of my favorites:

• Turkey Sweet Potato Soup: flavored with cumin and coriander
• Carrot Pumpkin Apple Soup: sweet, savory, and just a bit tart from Granny Smith apple
• Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Chili: a hearty chicken chili with only 10 minutes of prep time!

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