Posts filed in Black Bean Soup

Gather / Recipes

Welcome to Fall: Soup Season Has Arrived

There is a particular stillness that settles in on the first day of fall. Not a big shift, not yet, just a quiet acknowledgment that something has turned. The light comes in lower now, more amber than gold, and it lands differently on everything it touches.

As I sit here in Vermont on a chilly, rainy day, the kind that makes you want to stay in your socks and not commit to anything productive, I have a pot of black bean soup bubbling in the slow cooker. It felt like the only right way to welcome the season. Something warm working away in the background while the rain does its thing outside.

Easy and delicious Black Bean soup recipe by Jacques Pepin

If you have been here a while, you might remember the black bean soup I shared a few months back, inspired by Jacques Pépin. I am making it again today, but have adapted it for the slow cooker. I boiled the dry beans in a pot of water for about 10 minutes first, then rinsed and drained them before adding everything to the slow cooker. It gets you nearly all the way to that same rich, tender pot without needing to babysit it on the stove all day. You can find the full recipe here: Jacques Pépin’s Black Bean Soup.

It is soup season now, officially and unofficially. The kind of season where the best plans are the ones that require the least of you. A pot on low. A good book nearby. Something simmering that will make the whole house smell like it in an hour.

Photo by Claudia Reese for August Table

Setting the Table for the Season

A few weeks ago I mentioned that our Juniper brown and Talelayo brown prints kept finding their way into our fall daydreams, and now that autumn is officially here, I wanted to share how simple it can be to bring that feeling to your own table, wherever you are.

There is something about brown as a base color that people underestimate. It reads as neutral, but it is not flat. It has warmth built into it already, so the table does half the work for you before you add a single thing. Lay a Talelayo brown cloth down and let it be the quiet part of the story. Then bring in whatever fall is offering near you right now. Small apples with a blush still on one side. A few sprigs of goldenrod or dried grasses from a walk. Candles in a dull brass or warm amber tone.

The napkins in Juniper brown go beautifully at each place, folded simply, no tricks needed. Some tables want a flourish. This one wants restraint. A wooden bowl of walnuts still in their shells makes a lovely centerpiece, mostly for the sound they make when you move them, and partly because they look like they belong there in a way nothing store bought quite does.

August Table Juniper Napkin in Kolkata Brown

If you are setting your own table this weekend, my advice is to resist the urge to overdo it. Fall gives you so much good color and texture for free. A few apples. Some dried grasses if you have access to them. Candles in a warm, low tone. A pot of something good on the stove or in the slow cooker. Let the rest take care of itself.

Wherever You Are This Season

Maybe your life feels settled right now, and fall gets to be purely about the joy of it. The candles, the soup, the slower mornings. Or maybe, like so many of us at different points, you are in the middle of something. A move, a transition, a season that has not quite resolved itself yet. Life rarely waits for the tidy moment to hand you a new chapter.

Either way, I hope you still find a reason to set the table this week. Not because everything is finished or figured out, but because a good meal and a beautifully set place have a way of making even an in between season feel a little more like home.

If the Juniper or Talelayo prints are calling to you, you can find them at augusttable.com. Wherever you are this week, I hope your first days of fall feel just as good as they smell.

With warmth,
Carrie

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Gather / Recipes

The Frugal Gourmet: Jacques Pépin’s Black Bean Soup

There is something deeply comforting about a recipe that has stood the test of time.

This week at The Featured Table, we are leaning into the spirit of the frugal gourmet. Cooking that is thoughtful, economical, nourishing, and deeply satisfying. Food that stretches, feeds many, and still feels special every single time it is made.

This black bean soup, inspired by Jacques Pépin, is exactly that kind of recipe. It is made from a humble bag of dried beans, yet it delivers layers of flavor, warmth, and generosity. It is the sort of soup you make once and enjoy all week, or freeze away in quart containers to pull out on a busy night when you want something that feels like home.

A Soup with a Story

Black bean soup has long been a favorite in the Pépin household. Inspired by Jacques’ wife Gloria’s Cuban and Puerto Rican roots, the soup evolved over decades, including a version served at his restaurant La Potagerie in the 1970s. It is a beautiful example of how food travels through cultures and families, changing slightly but always keeping its heart.

What I love most is that this soup invites you to make it your own. The base is simple and inexpensive. The joy comes at the end, when each bowl is finished with toppings that add texture, brightness, and a little surprise.

Jacques famously tops his with sliced bananas and cilantro, a nod to Gloria’s heritage. It sounds unexpected, and yet it works beautifully. Sweet, herbal, and grounding all at once.

Why We Make This on Repeat

This is the kind of recipe that feels comforting and grounding especially right now. It is affordable. It is packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and slow-burning energy that truly nourishes your body. It feeds a crowd with ease, and it freezes beautifully.

Serve it for a casual dinner with a simple salad and warm bread, or portion it out for easy lunches and weeknight meals. It is generous food. Practical food. The kind that supports you quietly and well.

Jacques Pépin’s Black Bean Soup

Serves 12

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried black beans, sorted and rinsed
  • 2 quarts water, plus more if needed
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
  • ½ cup uncooked white or brown rice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large bunch cilantro stems, chopped (reserve leaves for topping)
  • 2 cups salsa, mild, medium, or hot
  • 1 leek, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled

Toppings (choose your favorites)

  • Sliced banana
  • Chopped hard-boiled egg
  • Diced white onion
  • Sliced avocado
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Hot sauce
  • Shredded Cheese

Instructions

Rinse the beans under cold water and place them in a large pot. Add the water and stock, followed by the rice, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the beans are just tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. (Sometimes I rinse and soak the beans overnight before making the soup the next day because it speeds up the cooking time.)

Stir in the chopped cilantro stems, salsa, leek, onion, and garlic. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for another hour.

Once the beans are very tender, adjust the consistency. If the soup is too thick, add 1½ to 2 cups of additional stock or water. Use an immersion blender to blend briefly, just enough to create a creamy texture while leaving some beans whole. Alternatively, blend a few cups in a blender and return them to the pot.

Serve hot in warm bowls, finished generously with your chosen toppings. A drizzle of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar add a lovely sharpness. A few dashes of hot sauce never hurt.

A Final Note

This is frugal cooking at its best. Thoughtful, adaptable, and deeply satisfying. It reminds us that feeding ourselves well does not have to be complicated or expensive. Sometimes the most enduring recipes are built from the simplest ingredients, made with care, and shared often.

I hope this soup finds a place in your kitchen the way it has in ours.

With warmth,
Carrie

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