It is cold, rainy, and even a few snow flurries falling here in Alabama and I felt like a soup needed to happen tonight so I came up with this…

Introducing the newest addition to my “stable soup recipes” list! Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup! The early stages of this idea came a few years back when I had a black bean and sweet potato burrito. I remembered how great that sweet creamy sweet potato was with the bold black beans all topped off with a soft tortilla wrap and salsa! You see this is the great thing about having a blog… when I can’t remember what I ate or how I fixed “this and that” I just pull up the blog! When I had this burrito Cookin Up Life wasn’t up and running therefore leaving me with no idea where I had this burrito. I am thinking maybe a Nigella cookbook or an Ellie Krieger special! Anyway… it is inspired from that and adapted to what I had in my kitchen.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup
You need:
-1 pound of beef (cooked and fat drained off)
-1 sweet potato (peeled and cubed)
-1 onion (sliced and diced)
-1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
-1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
-HOT salsa (about 1/4 cup- more or less depending on your taste buds)
-Chicken stock (start with a carton, add more if needed)
-1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice (cook following directions)
-Brown sugar (1 tablespoon)
-Garlic
-Salt/Pepper
-Butter (in your rice mixture and throw in a little with the onions)

How to:
1. Get your brown rice going. I took a 1/2 cup of rice and combined it with about a cup and a half of stock, tablespoon of butter, and a pinch of salt. Then followed package directions from there.
2. Brown your beef and prep your onion. Drain your beef and add your onion with a little butter (this is optional). Over medium heat cook this mixture for about 5-10 minutes (until the onions start to turn clear).
3. Peel and cube your sweet potato into small bite size pieces and slice your 2 tomatoes. Throw them into the pot.
4. Add a little salt and pepper and pour in your stock. Add 1/4 cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and stir that up.
5. Drain and rinse your black beans, add them and your cooked brown rice. Open your can of fire roasted tomatoes and add them too Give it a stir and let it come up to a boil over medium high heat. Once at a boil (nice strong boil), cut down to medium and throw the lid on. Simmer until sweet potatoes are fork tender (smaller you cut them the quicker the cook time). Taste it and check for garlic, salt, and pepper needs.

Here are some visual steps:
1. Beef and Onion mixture

2. Prep your sweet potato and tomatoes.

3. Add potatoes and tomatoes to the pot.

4. Add the stock!

5. Add the rice, beans, tomatoes, sugar, and salsa. Let it cook then serve it up I garnished with Celtic Salt, Garlic Gold, and some cilantro…

This soup is yummy… I did it in one big pot but I think you could easily throw it all in the crock-pot one morning and let it go (cook your beef though!) for 6-8 hours. Start to finish… around 45 minutes or less. It could be a 30 minute meal if you had a sous chef. I didn’t feel great, so I really took it slow and enjoyed the time in the kitchen. I sniffed my onions cooking in butter at least 5 times… haha Smells so good…

I like cilantro and I had some on hand from the harvest basket last week… I think it really gave it a fresh pop. I thought a soup recipe was needed today since we got SNOW in Alabama… I guess Old Man Winter is knocking at the door huh? Haha… I didn’t get any at my apartment but my parents did at the farm (lucky). And I think Alabama set record today… we had snow but still had school!! That is what happens when it snows in the South during November. The ground is just too warm… but snow is always pretty and seems appropriate with December almost here.

Stay warm,
Courtney