Ellie Krieger's Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Soup

Every weekend I look forward to visiting our local Farmer's Markets.  Having no less than 3 markets that I regularly attend, I consider myself lucky.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are currently so beautiful and plentiful that I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to scoop them all up to bring home.  Summer produce is my favorite, and our cooler than average San Diego summer has local produce running a tad behind schedule, which is just fine by me!

In addition to flavorful sweet onions, succulent avocados and gorgeous salad greens, this week's market provided a bounty of fresh tomatoes.  Heirloom, cherry, and Roma were among the many varieties that found their way into my bag, all looking to be at the peak of their season!  The irregular yet inviting shapes of the heirloom varieties always catch my eye and are hard to resist... before I knew it I had a bag with more than I knew what I was going to do with.  Somewhat concerned that I had overdone it, I searched for recipes using pounds of tomatoes and thankfully remembered one of our favorites, Ms. Krieger's Roasted Tomato Black Bean Soup.  

Perfect selection of my treasured heirlooms!

The versatility of this savory recipe is a benefit for me as I don't always have just the right amount of tomatoes on hand, but using a few more or less doesn't materially impact the soup other than making it more or less tomatoey.  The black beans give texture that I love and adding roasted sweet onions lends a savory touch when combined with the roasted garlic.  Topping the soup with a sprinkle of cilantro, a scoop of creamy sour cream and a spoonful of luscious diced avocado provides a meal in a bowl that is just as good, if not better, the next day!  Perfect for freezing, I try to make extra to have on hand for those "I don't feel like cooking" days.

Soup with a side of our favorite focaccia!

Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Soup

adapted from Ellie Krieger

7 medium tomatoes, quartered (I used 3 large heirloom tomatoes and 4 medium Romas)

1 large onion, cut into large pieces

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 - 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 -2 cups water

2 (15.5-oz) cans black beans (preferably low sodium), drained and rinsed

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

3-7 dashes Tobasco

sour cream

chopped cilantro

diced avocado

Roasting to perfection on the grill!

Preheat the oven to 375º.  Toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic with the oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast until the garlic cloves have softened, the edges of the onions are browned, and the tomatoes have collapsed, 35-40 minutes, stirring once after the first 20 minutes.  Alternatively, put your baking sheet on your grill over medium low heat and roast... I found mine were perfect at about 20 minutes.

Transfer the roasted vegetable mixture to a 4-quart saucepan. Add the broth, water, beans, and cumin.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 - 20 minutes. Adjust water as necessary.  Remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.  Stir in the hot sauce, using more or less as desired.  Scoop into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a scoop of diced avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro. 



This post is submitted to Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sundays!