Spice Up Your Life with Black Bean Soup

 Soup Connection’s Spicy Black Bean Soup is a tasty way to incorporate plant-based protein into your diet. Beans not only pack 8 grams of protein per ½ cup, but they also provide your body with other needed nutrients.

Benefits of Beans:

Beans come in many different varieties and colors. Each type can enhance your meal and provides your body with health benefits. Beans provide protein, iron, and zinc- nutrients that we typically associate with meat. They are also high in fiber, folate, potassium and magnesium while remaining low in sodium and saturated fat. Beans have been shown to help keep your heart healthy, lower blood cholesterol, normalize bowel movements, and help you feel full and stay satisfied.  Beans can easily be incorporated into your diet. Just toss them in soups, salads, casseroles, quesadillas, or try heating them up and serving them as a side dish.

How to Prepare Beans:

Beans are an inexpensive and heart-healthy protein choice that can be simply added into meals. It is as easy as opening a can! Dried beans are also a great way to incorporate this tasty food into your diet. One difference with dried beans is that they need to be soaked prior to cooking. There are two methods for soaking beans: overnight or a quick soak. Both methods are outlined below.

Overnight method- 
1. Place beans in pot and cover with water at least 3 inches above the beans and let soak overnight. Beans expand double to triple their size as they are soaked and cooked, so make sure your pot is large enough.
2. When ready to use, drain the soaked beans and rinse.
3. Add 3 cups clean water for every 1 cup of dry beans.
4. Bring beans to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and cook slowly until tender. Depending on the bean it can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.

Quick Soak Method (use beans the same day)- 
1. Place beans in a pot and cover with water at least 3 inches above the beans.
2. Bring to boil for 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the beans soak in the water for about an hour.

Quick Tip: 
Be cautious of the added sodium in canned beans! Try buying the low-sodium or no salt added varieties and be sure to drain and rinse canned beans thoroughly before using. The quick step of draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce the amount of sodium by up to 40%.

Make it a Meal:

This week at soup connection, the Spicy Black Bean Soup will be served with Polenta Jack Bread. Make it a complete meal by adding a side of Berry Avocado and Kale Salad!

Soup and salad are the perfect combination for an easy weeknight meal! Grab your ingredients today so that you are ready to go tomorrow night. Be sure to watch the cute video below to see the health benefits of black beans and be sure to leave a comment with your favorite soup and salad combinations.