Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Soup



Look at what I got in the mail:


A six pack!


Of tomatoes!

Red Gold Tomatoes sent me such a cute little sampler of their tomato products to try that I wasn’t quite sure what to make with them first, but a quick glance out the window helped me to decide.



Soup! It’s downright wintery out there!  Unbeknownst to the Red Gold peeps, I actually had a can of their tasty tomatoes in my cupboard, so I’m saving the sampler pack for some other quick tomato meals. Stay tuned for those. In the mean time, let’s cook some soup.


I am not a fan of most canned soup, I’ll have you know. Frankly, I’m not quite sure of what’s in it. Usually, there’s too much salt. Sometimes, there’s stuff like corn syrup and fillers. And if your argument to me is that canned soup is convenient, then I will counter that with the fact that making your own soup is almost as easy.  Check it out—I did this on the fly, with some things I had in the cupboard (and the freezer).

Tomato, Black Bean, and Corn Soup
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ large, sweet onion, chopped
2 cups frozen corn (fire-roasted, if available)
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, chopped, with liquid
1 (15-19 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, onions and corn. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans vegetable stock, chili powder and Italian seasoning. Stir well and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer soup for 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve the soup hot; garnish with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese, if desired.


I chose to use some fire-roasted frozen corn that I had in the freezer. It added just a hint of smokey flavor.

Canned tomatoes make easy work out of soup—of this I am a great fan. Good, fresh tomatoes are hard to find this time of year (not to mention, pricey), so canned tomatoes are a must. The thing is, they work in so many things. Besides soup, you can sub canned tomatoes for fresh in spaghetti sauce, on pizzas, and in casseroles. My mother-in-law likes to take a can of stewed tomatoes and use them as gravy over mashed potatoes.

So why Red Gold brand tomatoes? It really wasn't a fluke that that was the brand in my cupboard. The Red Gold company is a third generation family owned company out of Indiana. They started in 1942 and all they do are tomatoes. They know their stuff! Red Gold is located right in the middle of tomato country and I've found all of their tomato products to be of stellar quality. But, I digress. Let's get back to my soup.


This was tasty just the way it was, but I felt it needed just a little something.


How about using all of those crushed tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag? It's a shame to waste them, even if they aren't so good at scooping anymore.


Now, just add some shredded cheese and you are good to go.

See? Wasn't that easy? And now that all of my soup is gone, I've got some ideas for the rest of those cans. Next up on the menu: Cincinnati Chili Pizza. 

Is there something special you make with canned tomatoes?

Disclaimer: I received free product from Red Gold Tomatoes in order to do this review. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

7 comments:

  1. Mmmmmmm....what a delicious soup!!! Simple, healthy and delicious!!!

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  2. What a wonderful soup for a cold day. That roasted corn sounds like a great addition to a spicy soup. Pass the cheese, please.

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  3. That soup looks fantastic - thick, hearty, and full of tomatoey goodness, perfect for a frigid day in North Dakota. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration for a dinner idea this week.

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  4. Looks and sounds awesome! I'd probably throw in a little cumin too. Gotta say, I've never heard of Red Gold Tomatoes, OR frozen fire roasted corn! I'll have to keep an eye out for both.

    I know what you mean about canned soups! I'll buy a can of tomato every couple of years, but that's about it. I was shocked the first time I saw Wolfgang Puck's soups. I thought hmmm, maybe I'll give his a try, then I read a label and saw how much sodium was in them. NO THANKS!!!!

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  5. This soup seems perfect for the weather we have up here, looks yum as well! As for tomatoes in a can... I can't make a tomato souses with out them! Wishing you all the best and stay warm in those freezing winter days :)

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  6. I read about this soup recipe recently and went right out and bought the ingredients. I could not find any vegetable stock so when I prepared the soup a few nights ago I made a beef stock with sliced carrots and celery in it, and used that in the soup. I also cut the seasonings in half as we don't need that much salt and also did not want the soup to be too "spicy" for us. We were very pleased with the taste of the soup and had it again this evening. My husband likes oyster crackers so we had them on the soup instead of tortilla chips. There is enough soup for a few more servings. I will make this soup again; perhaps will make a half a recipe next time. Martha, Jen's mom.

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  7. Martha, how nice to meet you through my blog. I'm glad the soup turned out for you--thank you for giving it a try! :) Jen is such a great dinner club friend. How nice that she shared this with you.

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