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Black Bean Soup with Lime Crema

Name: Black Bean Soup with Lime Crema
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 36 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: olive oil — 27 g; yellow onion — 110 g; red bell pepper — 100 g; garlic — 12 g; cumin — 10 g; smoked paprika — 5 g; cayenne pepper — 1 g; tomato paste — 30 g; black beans — 1318 g; vegetable broth — 946 g; salt — 5 g; sour cream — 118 g; lime — 65 g; cilantro — 7 g

Black Bean Soup with Lime Crema reads citrus 5.2, sourness 5.0 and umami 4.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican main, about 36 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.7 / 10
Sour & Bright — 6.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.1 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 5.2 · Sourness 5.0 · Umami 4.3 · Allium 4.2 · Salinity 3.8 · Richness 3.7 · Sweetness 3.1 · Earthy 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Heat 2.4 · Smoke 2.3 · Funk & Ferment 2.2 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Fruity 2.0 · Nutty 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Floral 0.8

What's in it (14)

olive oil — 27 g
yellow onion — 110 g
red bell pepper — 100 g
garlic — 12 g
cumin — 10 g
smoked paprika — 5 g
cayenne pepper — 1 g
tomato paste — 30 g
black beans — 1318 g
vegetable broth — 946 g
salt — 5 g
sour cream — 118 g
lime — 65 g
cilantro — 7 g

Time & effort: about 36 min (35 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 180.5 kcal, 10.8 g protein, 1.7 g fat, 31.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add the black beans and vegetable broth; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are very tender, 20 minutes.
While the soup simmers, stir together the sour cream, lime zest, and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice in a small bowl with a pinch of salt; set aside.
Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer about half the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender directly in the pot, working in short pulses) and puree until smooth, then stir the puree back into the pot so the soup is half-smooth, half-chunky.
Stir in the salt and the remaining lime juice; taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice as needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl a spoonful of lime crema into each, and finish with the chopped cilantro.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Ground Chicken Shawarma Lettuce Wraps — Middle Eastern
Sheet-Pan Steak Fajita Nachos Bake — Tex-Mex
Chicken Shawarma Sheet Pan Dinner — Middle Eastern
Vegetarian Fajita Bowl with Peppers and Black Beans — Tex-Mex
White Bean and Brussels Sprout Hash with Fried Egg — American

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.