Spiced Black Bean & Spinach Soup

Recipe 3/30 of my 30 day recipe series to help you get healthy and lose weight in January

CALORIES PER SERVING: 273 (SERVES 2)

When minimising calories it’s important not to minimise flavour in the process. The best way to avoid this is by using plenty of spices, as showcased in this recipe. This soup provides a big bowl of goodness, bags of flavour, and is extremely filling to boot.

PREP TIME: 10 mins

COOKING TIME: 40 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 1 tsp mild curry powder

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• ¼ tsp chilli powder

• 500ml vegetable stock from a cube

• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed

• 130g baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp lime juice

METHOD:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and add 1 diced onion and 2 grated garlic cloves.

Fry on a low-medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the onion softens, adding a little water if it’s getting too dry.

Now add 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp chilli powder and mix well in the pan.

Add the 500ml stock and 1 x 400g tin black beans and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Check occasionally and top up with a little water if it’s reducing down too quickly.

Take the pan off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Pour the soup into a blender or food processor (or use a stick blender) and pulse for a few seconds; you want the soup to be quite chunky.

Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.

Return the soup to the pan and reheat before adding 130g spinach and 1 tbsp lime juice (and a little water if it’s too thick).

Wait for the spinach to wilt down, and it’s ready to serve.