Black Bean Soup with Miso and Ginger Recipe

This satisfying, comforting soup delivers a big umami punch from miso and lots of good nutrition. Best served with good, chewy bread for dipping.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped, about ½ cup
1 medium carrot, chopped, about 1 cup
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 14-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon red miso paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
½ inch ginger root cut into thin matchsticks, about 1 tablespoon, optional

Directions

Before you begin: Wash your hands.

1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion and carrot and sauté on a medium heat, until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a couple more minutes.
2. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3. Strain about ¼ cup of the liquid from the soup into a small bowl or cup. Add the miso paste to the stock and mix together to combine.
4. Gently stir to incorporate the miso paste until it is dissolved into the soup.
5. Before serving, add the lemon juice to the pan.
6. Adjust the seasoning and mash the soup slightly with a potato masher. This will thicken the soup without compromising the satisfying texture.
7. Sprinkle the soup with chopped cilantro and, if desired, add a little fresh ginger to the bowls.

Cooking Notes

• Miso is a paste prepared from fermented soy beans. It is a staple in Japanese cooking used everywhere from soups to marinades. Red miso paste, used in this recipe, has more texture and a deeper flavor than mellower white miso paste. Do not add miso paste to the soup when it is still cooking or very hot. Heat will kill the live cultures in the paste that may provide health benefits.
• The soup may not need any salt because miso paste is salty.
• Sprinkling fresh ginger on the soup creates additional layer of flavor and adds freshness. However if fresh ginger tastes too spicy to you, add just a little or avoid altogether.

Nutrition Analysis

Serving size: 1¼ cup
Serves 4

Calories: 179; Total Fat: 4g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 743mg; Total Carbohydrate: 34g; Dietary Fiber: 11g; Sugars: 6g; Protein: 9g; Potassium: N/A; Phosphorus: N/A