Gently seasoned brothy black beans with little crostini toasts and a perfectly poached egg floating on top, all finished with spoonfuls of red tomato salsa–this black bean soup with poached egg is one of the many reasons I adore Mexican cuisine.
This simple soup is inspired by a flavorful brunch dish I enjoyed a few years back in Mexico City. Next week I’m headed there again with girlfriends. Before we hop on the plane, I’m re-shareing the recipe.
In Mexico City we discovered a cosmopolitan-looking bakery-café for “brunch.” Eyeing the tempting display of “artisan” breads and well-crafted mouthwatering pastries, we settled at an outside table and ordered lattes and cappuccinos. My girlfriend ordered a dish described as black beans with egg and two salsas.
Thank goodness she decided on those beans and gave me a slurp! Because a late breakfast of savory black bean soup topped with a crouton and poached eggs was an unexpected delightful meal!
We’ve since returned to that corner café more than once, and now I always order that flavorful black bean soup with poached eggs and salsa. This is my recollection of the well-garnished black bean soup.
How to make Mexican black bean soup with poached egg and salsa:
- Start with a flavorful broth. For aroma and texture unbeknownst to beans from a can, build your soup with homemade black beans. That said, if you want to make this soup on the fly, open, drain and rinse a couple cans of black beans and supplement with a rich vegetable broth. With either homemade or canned beans, you’ll find this black bean soup quietly tasty.
- Toast some baguette slices with a little olive oil, one or 2 per person.
- Choose your salsa. My homemade tomato salsa is 5-ingredient, 10-minute easy, though, the same as with the canned beans, if it comes down to making this soup or not, go with purchased salsa.
- Poach an egg or two per person. Our Mexico City black bean soup held 2 poached eggs. This recipe calls for 1 egg and one crostini toast per person. Feel free to include 2 eggs per person.
To prepare ahead: Make the black beans beforehand. To serve, reheat, then drop a crouton and egg on top. Salsa of course!
More recipes with black beans:
- How to cook black beans from scratch. In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
- Super nutritious Spicy Black Bean Chili with Hearty Greens.
- To die for Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas!
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Mexican Black Bean Soup with Poached Egg
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 2 cups vegetable broth, from the homemade beans, or purchased
- fine sea salt, to taste
- 4 slices baguette, cut on bias about ¼ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil ,as needed
- 4 each eggs ,perfectly poached
- ½ cup Tomato salsa, homemade or purchased
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley or cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Heat the beans and broth. Season to taste with salt. (see note)
- While the beans cook, brush a little olive oil on the baguette slices and toast them to just golden.
- Poach the eggs.
- When the eggs are ready, ladle some beans into a bowl, float the crostini, and gently slide the poached egg on top. Spoon on the salsa. Finish with a twist of freshly ground black pepper and a sprig of flat-leaf parsley.
Notes
- If you don’t have home cooked beans, use 2 cans black beans, drained, and 1 ½ to 2 cups of vegetable broth. If you wish, flavor the broth with ½ cup sautéed onion and 1 minced garlic clove.
- Homemade salsa, with fresh tomatoes, green chiles, onion and cilantro is first choice, though a good quality purchased salsa saves time.
Muy Bueno!!! Where’s that Chile Relleno with nut sauce? 🙂 · 10 November, 2014
I have so many recipe In the queue I don’t know which one to do first….tenga paciencia..;-) · 10 November, 2014
A soupy variation of huevos rancheros. Cool. Also, I meant to ask you the other night if you ever use Molly Katzen idea for tofu? David and I are loving it. · 10 November, 2014
Thanks Patricia! Which Molly Katzen recipe? · 10 November, 2014
That looks easy and delicious, Letty! Thanks! · 21 October, 2018
Thank you Caron. Enjoy! · 22 October, 2018
Love the poached egg on top! Of course! · 30 October, 2018
I”m surprised that there are no herbs or spices in this soup. I think it would really transform a plain bowl of black beans. =) · 26 November, 2018
Thank you Kate. It’s true you could add sautéed onions and garlic and oregano to the beans, but I opted to keep it simple, with flavor from the vegetable broth and the salsa. From-scratch black beans will give this soup maximum flavor too. · 27 November, 2018