Costa Rican Black Bean Soup

Sopa negra is a traditional delicacy from southern Costa Rica, made from pureed black beans, flavored with garlic, onion, and cilantro, resulting in a dark, thick, flavorful broth.

Its history dates back to coffee plantation workers, who made use of accessible ingredients to create a complete, energizing meal.

Costa Rican Black Bean Soup

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• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Costa Rican

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 500 g of cooked black beans, with their broth (about 17.6 oz)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of cilantro (culantro)
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 sweet bell pepper, in strips
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 liter of water or chicken broth (about 4.25 cups)
• Oil, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, for serving (optional)

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Preparation

1. Cook the beans, heat the cooked black beans in their broth together with the garlic, cilantro bunch, oregano, celery, bell pepper, salt, and pepper for about 10 minutes so they absorb the flavors.
2. Blend, blend the cooked beans together with their broth until smooth.
3. Sauté the base, in a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until tender and translucent.
4. Combine, add the blended beans along with the liter of water or chicken broth.
5. Cook, cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, to blend the flavors.
6. Season, adjust salt and pepper, and add a sprig of fresh cilantro for aroma.
7. Serve, serve hot, with chopped hard-boiled egg on top.

Tips for getting it right

• Blending the beans together with their cooking broth is key to achieving sopa negra's characteristic thick texture.
• Cilantro (culantro) is essential for this dish's distinctive aroma.
• Cooking with chicken broth instead of water further boosts the final flavor.
• Hard-boiled egg is the most common traditional topping when serving this soup.

Traditional variations

• It originated among coffee plantation workers in southern Costa Rica, as a complete, accessible meal.
• It's traditionally served with white rice, corn tortillas, and hard-boiled egg.

How to serve

Sopa negra is served hot, with hard-boiled egg, white rice, and corn tortillas.

It's an emblematic dish of Costa Rican cuisine, found in homes, sodas, and local markets.

Recommended sides

• White rice
• Corn tortillas
• Hard-boiled egg

Did you know?

Sopa negra originated among coffee plantation workers in southern Costa Rica, who made use of accessible ingredients for a complete dish.

Over time, it became a symbol of Costa Rican cuisine, found in homes, sodas, and local markets.