There is something singularly satisfying about black bean soup. It’s easy, earthy, nourishing, and versatile. Using my basic Black Bean Soup recipe as a starting point, you can easily create a tropical variation by adding orange juice, fruity habanero peppers, and fresh mango. Likewise, the soup can swing Southern with the addition of bacon, bourbon, and sweet potatoes, Southwestern with ancho chili, zucchini, and corn, or Mexican with tomatoes and pickled jalapenos. And to make the basic soup recipe vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

No matter what style you make, garnishes liven up black bean soup. I like a dollop of yogurt, chopped fresh cilantro and red onion, sliced radishes, diced avocado and jicama, and fried garlic chips. For an even heartier meal, I’ve been know to serve the soup over rice, or with a fried egg on top.

Black Bean Soup

Makes about 3½ quarts

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 medium banana or Italian frying peppers, seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)

Salt

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup amontillado sherry

6 cups homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth

415.5-ounce cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

4 large bay leaves

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1½ tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Black pepper

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, peppers, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft and golden, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, thyme, and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sherry and cook for about 45 seconds longer. Add the broth, beans, and bay leaves, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to meld the flavors, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

In a blender, puree half the mixture (working in batches, if necessary) until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, add the hot pepper sauce and vinegar, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and additional salt, if desired, and serve at once.

Variations

Black Bean Soup with Orange, Habanero Peppers, and Mango Follow the recipe for Black Bean Soup, making the following changes:

1 Add 1½ to 2 teaspoons minced habanero pepper, or to taste, along with the garlic and spices.

2 Omit the sherry, bay leaves, and hot sauce.

3 Substitute 2 cups of orange juice for 2 cups of the chicken broth and ¼ cup fresh lime juice in place of the vinegar.

4 Add 1½ tablespoons grated orange zest along with the lime juice.

5 Just before serving, add most of ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro.

6 Peel, pit, and chop 1 ripe mango. Garnish each portion of soup with some of the mango and a sprinkling of the remaining cilantro.

Black Bean Soup with Bacon, Bourbon, and Sweet Potatoes

Follow the recipe for Black Bean Soup, making the following changes:

1 Cook and reserve ½ pound bacon, cut into thin strips, and use 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in place of the olive oil.

2 Substitute ½ cup bourbon for the sherry, stirring in ¼ cup of the bourbon in place of the sherry and the remaining ¼ cup bourbon along with the hot sauce and vinegar.

3 Add 2 small or 1 very large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups), along with the beans. When pureeing, leave the sweet potato chunks intact.

4 Just before serving, add most of ¾ cup thinly sliced scallions and most of the reserved bacon.

5 Garnish each portion of soup with some of the remaining bacon and scallions.

Black Bean Soup with Chicken, Tomatoes, and Pickled Jalapenos

Follow the recipe for Black Bean Soup, making the following changes:

1 Along with the beans, add 3 trimmed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1¼ pounds total). Before pureeing, remove the chicken, let it cool, and shred it into bite-size pieces.

2 After the pureeing step, add the shredded chicken and 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes.

3 Substitute ½ cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers and ¼ cup pickled jalapeno juice for the hot sauce and vinegar.

Black Bean Soup with Ancho Chili, Zucchini, and Corn

Follow the recipe for Black Bean Soup, making the following changes:

1 Chop 2 medium zucchini (about ¾ pound), and set aside. Cook 3 cups frozen corn (about 1 pound), drain well, and set aside.

2 In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat 1½ teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil until shimmering. Add the zucchini, stir to coat with the oil, and cook, without stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl, and set aside. Return the pot to the heat, add another 1½ teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil, and heat for a moment. Add the corn, stir to coat with the oil, and cook, without stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer about 2/3 of the corn to the bowl with the zucchini. Leave the remaining 1/3 in the pot and cook it along with the onions, peppers, and carrots.

3 Substitute 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder for the thyme.

4 When you add the sherry, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen and dissolve the brown bits.

5 After the pureeing step, add the reserved zucchini and corn.

6 Substitute fresh lime juice for the vinegar.

7 Just before serving, stir in most of ¾ cup thinly sliced scallions. Garnish each portion of soup with some of the remaining scallions. ByAdam Ried, The Boston Globe