Black Bean Cabbage Soup

It may be Memorial Day Weekend and everyone is looking forward to a cookout but the weather is a washout. It's pouring here and it's cold!! It's definitely a soup day.

This soup is more like a meal. It's filled with delicious veggies - celery, carrots, green beans, tomatoes and cabbage. It also has black beans which make it rich and thick. Cumin and coriander give it a Spanish flavor.

My Black Bean Cabbage Soup is really filling and will definitely keep you warm on a cold, rainy day. Enjoy!

Black Bean Cabbage Soup

2 tsp. canola oil

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

½ lb. fresh green beans, tips removed, cut into 1-inch pieces

½ head of cabbage, sliced or shredded

1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. coriander

1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

6-8 cups of water or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the onion and cook under medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook about 5 minutes until the vegetables soften a bit. 

Add the garlic, the green beans and the cabbage to the pot. Mix everything together well and let cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the pot and mix to coat all the vegetables. Add the bouillon cubes and the spices. Add the beans and 6-8 cups of broth or water, depending how much soup you want to make. I usually use 8 cups and make a big stockpot of the soup Mix well. Bring the soup to a boil. Then cover the pot most of the way and let it cook on low heat for about 30-40 minutes.

Taste to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Add salt and pepper as needed. The soup will thicken from the beans over time. If it gets too thick, add more water and taste again for seasoning.

You can serve the soup right away. The flavors will intensify over time. It tastes great hot or cold. It can keep for several days to a week in the fridge and it can be frozen for later use.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.