Black Bean & Leftover Rice Soup

A great way to repurpose leftover rice is to add them to this tasty Tex-Mex inspired soup. Even without meat, this soup is filling, hearty, and comforting. Not to mention, a total time and money saver, too!

  • By Jess Dang
  • October 6, 2013

I grew up in a household that had no choice but to pinch pennies. We were immigrants – and not the wealthy kind that came here for their PhDs – more like the kind that came with a single suitcase, barely speaking any English.

We lived month-to-month in a 2 bedroom apartment that housed 6 of us for 5 years before we upgraded to a 3 bedroom. If folks wonder why I have no concept of personal space, now you get it, right?

To make it all work, we clipped coupons – my favorite Sunday activity – and definitely went out of our way to find a deal.

My mom was the kind of woman who would stand in a customer service line for 15 minutes to get back 15 cents for an overcharge. My grandmother could not enter a Western supermarket without lamenting, “$1.99 for lettuce? You know I can get 5 heads for $1.00 at the Asian store. Why would anyone pay so much?”

Even though things have changed a lot for us (the American Dream is alive and well, folks!), you can’t erase a childhood of frugality. When it comes to groceries, I continue to be a value shopper and love challenging myself to create budget dinners. This black bean and leftover rice soup uses some of my favorite cheap-o practices:

  • Do without the meat – beans are a great protein-filled, non-meat alternative.
  • Take advantage of dried bulk goods – canned beans are convenient, but if you want to save even more, cook your own beans.
  • Use vegetables that are cheap and have a long shelf-life – cabbage is already one of my favorite vegetables, and I love it even more because it’s not expensive, takes forever to spoil, and is good for you!

Lastly, I’m always looking for ways to repurpose rice and other grains. Bulking up this soup with leftover rice makes not only a budget, but filling meal. And of course, if you’re not pinching pennies, top it with avocado and sour cream for a creamy finish.


Prepping Smarts

  • The recipe below calls for canned beans, ~1 1/2 cups of beans. If you want to use dried beans, that’s 1/2 cup (1 cup of dried beans = 3 cups of cooked). My method for cooking beans is to just throw them in a slow cooker with a 3 to 1 water to dried bean ratio plus some salt and a bay leaf or two. I cook on high for about 2 to 3 hours and the beans are done! Divide up and freeze if you made a big batch.
  • Learn how to dice onions and slice cabbage with our videos:
Video

How to Slice an Onion

Learn the most efficient way to slice, dice, and chop onions so that your prep always goes smoothly.

Video

How to Slice Cabbage

See how easy it is to break down a head of cabbage for slaws and soups.

Equipment Smarts

  • Dutch Oven – holds heat well, making it the perfect vessel to cook soups quickly

For more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools


Black Bean and Leftover Rice Soup

I’m always looking for ways to reuse rice and adding them to this Tex-Mex inspired soup is a tasty solution. Top with sour cream and avocado for the perfect finish.

Prep time: 25 min

Cook time: 30 min

Total time: 55 min

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

  • Garlic – 3 cloves, minced
  • Onion – 1, diced
  • Green cabbage – 1/2 head, sliced
  • Green onions – 2 stalks, chopped
  • Black beans – 1 can, rinsed and drained
  • Cooking oil – 1 Tbsp
  • Tomato paste – 1/3 cup
  • Hot sauce – as desired (I used about 2 tablespoons of Tapatio)
  • Vegetable broth – 1 quart
  • Leftover rice – 2 cups
  • Avocado – 1 to 2, cubed
  • Sour cream – for serving on soup

Instructions

Prep

  1. Garlic / Onions / Cabbage / Green onions – Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
  2. Beans – Rinse and drain.

Make

  1. Heat a >5 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then garlic to heated oil. Once you can smell the garlic, add in onions with some salt. Saute until softened, ~3 minutes.
  2. Add in cabbage, black beans, tomato paste, hot sauce, and broth with a dash of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Add in rice and then simmer until cabbage is cooked, another 3 to 5 minutes. Now, taste. Your soup might need some help right now with flavoring. Season to taste with more salt or hot sauce, and if you feel brave, dig into your spice drawer (cumin, coriander, and paprika would all be great candidates) and go for it.
  3. Cube avocado and top warm soup with avocado, green onions, and sour cream.

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