picture this.

this soup recipe is like the little black dress in your closet.  unless you are a guy.  then you don’t have a little black dress in your closet.  well, maybe you do, but we don’t have to know about that.   did i have a point here??  oh yeah.  the little black dress soup recipe!  you can dress it up in any way you want.  it’s my go-to soup recipe when my ridiculously-good-looking husband has bronchitis, or i don’t have much in the fridge, or i’m just to lazy to make something else.  usually it’s that last one.  i suppose i should call it the little black bean soup black dress recipe but that’s really confusing.  let’s just get on with it…

dig into your frig and see what kind of veggies you have:  onions, celery, carrots and some kind of pepper work  great but don’t fret if you are missing one or even two,  the recipe will work.

you will also need some beans and a large can of diced/crushed tomatoes.

first you chop

chop

chop

and chop.

really it doesnt’ matter how much you chop.  a little of everything will make a little soup.  in my house, i make nothing in little size.  i have teenage boys.  the food consumption in my home is like the laundry pile:  enormous.  heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pot.

then add your veggie mix.  season with salt and pepper.

let the veggies saute for about 10 minutes or until they soften and start to smell good.  then add whatever spices make you sing:  cumin, cajun seasoning, marjoram, thyme, or pepper flakes.  it all about the flavors you want on any particular day.  saute this mxiture until you start to smell the spices, about 3 to 5 minutes.

then add the can of tomatoes and a can of water.  you could substitute chicken or beef broth for the water, but i was being frugal and also wanted to keep this veggie as we had consumed strip steaks the night before.

let the base simmer for about an hour or until it looks like this:

then add the beans.  i don’t drain mine.  one, it’s quicker, and two, it’s quicker.  but feel free to drain them if you don’t like the bean liquid.  see how accommodating this recipe is??

here’s the beautiful part, this soup is good just as is.  it’s flavorful, low-fat and spicy enough to cure your husband’s bronchitis.  but (and “every body’s got a big butt”.  name that movie!!), you can add lots o’stuff at this point:  corn, shredded chicken, sauteed sausage, kielbasa, ditalini, etc…  you can also change the kind of beans you use:  kidneys, cannellini, navy, etc…  you can add all kinds of different veggies to the original saute:  potatoes, sweet potatoes (”po-ta-toes. boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew”  name that movie!!), cabbage, parsnips, etc…  the possibilities are endless.  then you can garnish the soup with avacado, cheese, sour cream, crackers, sliced radishes, etc…  let your taste buds be your guide.

black bean soup.  it’s the new black dress.

peace - jodi