This soup has zero fresh produce – kind of an oxymoron for me, no?! But this is the reality of real life, amirite? I have been traveling for three weeks and before I left, I cleaned out everything from my fridge that could potentially spoil – don’t worry, everything was either composted, repurposed or froze! Anyways, when I got home, I obviously had zero fresh food in the house, but I have a ton of pantry staples! Thus, my Pantry Clean-Out Black Bean Soup was born!

I literally only have one photo from this recipe, so you must check out my full recipe video on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok! 

I actually love this recipe because it’s inexpensive, easy, and you likely have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry available! It’s always perfect to make in a slow cooker, so you can tend to other things. I literally cleaned, showered, got ready, did my Hindu temple business and then re-tended to the soup. Your girl is busy! It includes a ton of aromatics and spices, so it’s perfect for this time of year when it’s cold, dreary, and everyone always has some gross lingering cough. But, I digress.

The ease of this soup is that it can be made with any combo of flavors and spices. These are just the few I like and find to make for an Indian, warming result. Oh! And all of the products used in this recipe are from female owned brands. How cool is that?!?! All brands listed below!

Pantry Clean-Out Black Bean Soup: 

makes ~4 cups of soup

• 1/2 cup black beans rinsed and soaked overnight – Simpli
• 1 tbsp light olive
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch piece ginger sliced with peel on!
• 2-3 dried red cayenne chilies
• 1/4 cup unsalted roughly chopped cashews
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp jaggery
• 1 fresh lemon peel
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice – Wonderful Seedless Lemons
• lemon olive oil for garnish – Brightland
• croutons or toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

1. Turn slow cooker – I’m using Our Place – to sauté on medium heat. Pour in light olive oil. Once hot, add in black peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds. Allow to pop for 15 seconds, then add in red chilies. Next add in onions, garlic, ginger and a pinch salt. Sauté until onions begin to sweat and everything is fragrant. Add in turmeric and continue cooking. Once the onions are slightly golden, add in cashews, and drained black beans. Sauté another 5 minutes. Pour in all 4 cups of water, bay leaf, lemon peel and jaggery. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, switch cooker to slow cook on high, cover and cook 60 minutes.

2. Once 60 minutes has elapsed, uncover and stir to check if beans are soft – should smoosh easily between two fingers. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup until desired consistency. Simmer for another 2 minutes and squeeze in lemon juice at the end.

3. Serve in a bowl – garnish with a drizzle of lemon olive oil and toasted pumpkin seeds.