Full of flavor, this soup will warm you, wake you up, and make you want to dance. And it won’t break the bank!
I was talking to my friend Chris recently, and he was making black bean soup. The thoughts of the soup stuck in my mind, so that evening I put a pound of dried black beans (organic, bulk $3 lb.) in a big bowl with a teaspoon of salt and plenty of water to more than cover and let them swell during the night. The next morning, after rinsing them, I cooked them simply in my pressure cooker with an onion, bay leaf, and a little more salt. I had 10 cups of beans for all kinds of purposes the rest of the week, and some for the freezer. New England Yankee thrift at its best. Soup was on the menu, because I wanted something simmering away while I prepared for a re-match against my granddaughter who beat me with great gusto in our last game of Scrabble.
One large rutabaga to the rescue
I also had a very large rutabaga from my winter CSA for just a few dollars. Once I finished chopping up this massive root, I had tons! I actually put around five cups of it in this soup, and still had some left for mash at another meal. Those frugal genes were tingling!
We all loved the soup, and I credit its name to my after-dinner Scrabble triple word “Jazzy,” that made good use of a blank tile and connected to a good “q” word. Sometimes you just get lucky, even when playing against a really sharp fifth grader.
If you don’t have rutabaga, any turnip would do here, and if you don’t like black beans, substitute what you like. Red beans would be delicious. Play with the spices, use the heat you like, or leave it out. It’s your soup after all! No matter what you do, it will taste great and be really good for you and your brain.
Filled with robust flavor, the soup is a little sweet from the rutabaga, a smooth warmth from the cayenne, a little kick from the Serrano, and lots of earthiness from the beans. It is also dairy- and gluten-free and vegan, without even trying! Well-rounded, warming, and just what one needs on a February evening, Miles Davis playing softly in the background, trying to beat a clever 11-year-old granddaughter at Scrabble.
The rest of the beans? They ended up filling tacos, mashed on toast, added to a stir-fry, and tucked in the freezer for another day.
Jazzy Rutabaga and Black Bean Soup
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 Serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ to ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- About a quart of diced rutabaga, more or less
- 2 cups black beans
- 6 cups stock (I used homemade vegetable)
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high and add the onion, carrots, and pepper. Sauté until just starting to color, then make a little space in the middle of the pan and add the spices, tomato paste, and garlic.
Continue cooking for another minute for the spices to bloom and become aromatic, then add the beans and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about a half hour, or until the rutabaga is nice and soft.
Add the vinegar and parsley, remove from the heat and serve up. This is lovely with croutons or corn chips.
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That looks so good. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you TaMara! It’s was really tasty!
Thank you, Dorothy, for the lovely and interesting combination!
Joanna
Thanks for stopping by Joanna! It was a really delicious combination.
Love your “Jazzy” soup Dorothy! It’s the perfect time of year for a big bowl of soup!
Thanks Jan! It really warms body and soul!
I love a good bowl of soup this looks delicious and so hearty 🙂
Thank you Carol! It was delicious, warming, and quite filling as well.
Mmm, this looks like a lovely winter warmer with all those spices! I love the peppery flavour of rutabaga (or swede as I call it), the failure of my garden crop was one of last year’s big disappointments so fingers crossed for better things this year. 😊
The beginning of the garden season is nothing but possibilities!
It is indeed and we gardeners are nothing if not optimists! 😉
With every seed!
That is true!
Well, this looks just about as warming and comforting as any soup could ever be! Honestly, you never stop amazing me with what you can turn out of a few inexpensive ingredients! And you played “jazzy” on a triple tile, too??? Your granddaughter is a lucky little gal. 🙂
She beat me the last time by 100 points, so I was out for revenge!
I love dried beans. I cook them up all the time. This is a perfect use for them, especially during winter. I also love your nice, big croutons!
Thank you Jeff! I like a nice hefty crouton! My favorite it to season them with anchovies!
Jazzy soup’s ingredients could warming us in winter.
Yes, it is a very warming soup with its spices! We all loved it.
Now this is my kind of soup! Jazzy and yummy!
Thanks Nancy! We just loved it!
Looks like a wonderful soup recipe-lots of delicious ingredients.
Thanks Jovina! A keeper that’s for sure.
This looks and sounds delicious…I think it might make its way to my dinner menu tonight! And of course, served in the perfectly coordinated bowl! I think I need to look at my bowls to determine what color vegetables and beans to use in my soup so it will look this good!
You know, when I chose this bowl, I thought about you my friend because you always notice my little touches! 🥣💕
And I love those touches, as well as the food!
Always appreciate your kind comments!
Delicious looking soup! Love such hearty soups in the winter. Love the spices you’ve used here. 🙂
Thank you Ronit! I love both the actual heat of the soup and the warmth of the spices.
The soup looks delicious!
Thank you Marilyn! We ate every drop!
I feel the warmth 😍
Thank you! It is nice and pleasant, and warms the body through and through.
“New England Yankee thrift” – we do know how to do it don’t we? 🙂
Oh yes, every onion skin and crust of bread!
Soup and winter, it just goes together.
When I look at the blanket of snow, I always think soup and stews!
Soups are seasonally transitional. With the mix of veggies and more, we bond with yields from nature. Black beans are a tasty smart add.❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! The dried beans are always waiting in my shelf, ready to be put into action!
Rutabaga is a hit in my mom’s stew and I can tell it would be a star in this soup too! YUM
Thank you Christy! The rutabaga goes beautifully with the beans, balancing each other nicely.
This sounds great to me, since I’m a black bean fan! I’ve never made anything with rutabagas, so that sounds like something I’d like to try! and I love that it’s budget-friendly! 🙂
The soup sounds great, since I’m a fan of black beans! Haven’t made anything with rutabaga, so that would be great to try out! And I love that this is budget-friendly! 🙂
Thanks Nancy! This made a lot, and we enjoyed every drop of it!
Love the look of this – definitely the black beans for me and the rutabaga if I can find it!
Happy hunting Eha!
The combination of rutabaga and black beans sounds delicious.
Thanks! They really liked each other a lot!
Wow, you’ve turned humble ingredients into a gourmet meal!
Thanks Jenna, it was really a lovely winter comfort time soup when the wind was raging outside!
Looks delicious Dorothy. I love the title too! I never think of rutabaga as jazzy – but this recipe is!
A little spice to jazz a dish up!
Black beans, with a kick of spice, will leave me wanting second helpings of this tasty soup. Hope you made enough! 🥘🍃😋
It made plenty Gail, but sadly is now all gone…
Aww. Missed my chance. 😜
This looks interesting! I love black beans. I wonder how this would be with the addition of chorizo or Italian sausage?
I think that would jazz it up even more!!!
Mmm, me too!!
The very epitome of a hearty soup!! Divine!
Thank you Cecilia! It was quite filling and satisfying.
Beautiful!! I adore rutabagas but recipes using them are far and few between. Now this!!
Mollie
Oh, I think you’ll enjoy this. They go together so nicely with the black beans.
Perfect recipe! Just in time I have swedes and need to use my black beans! You must have reada my mind! Great combo! 🙂
Perfect timing! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and I’ll definitely be making this again!
What a delicious and jazzy soup 😋😉 It really warms your soul 😋
Thank you my friend! It is perfect on a cold or rainy night.