How to Make The Weight Watchers Black Bean Soup Recipe at Home

Weight Watchers is a weight loss program that calculates a person’s nutrition needs based on their height, weight, age, and activity level. The good thing about this program is that there are no off-limits foods. However, in an attempt to remain within the points budget, you might want to pick foods with a lower point value yet rich in nutritional value.

Black bean soup would be an excellent choice. It is a classic dish from Cuba that is common throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The meal is rich in antioxidants and several vitamins and minerals. Besides, it is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free. Below is a simple black bean soup recipe you can make at home. Take a look!

Table of Contents show

What You Will Need

One medium, finely chopped onion
Four garlic cloves (large, minced)
Red pepper flakes (optional)
One tablespoon of cumin seeds
Undrained canned black beans (3 cans)
Chicken broth (14.5 oz)
Canned yellow corn
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation Steps

Before anything else, coat the bottom of your pot with some cooking spray. Since you want to keep your calorie intake low, the cooking spray is a perfect alternative to butter or olive oil. Besides, the cooking spray will prevent sticky ingredients, like garlic, from sticking to the pot.
Once the cooking spray is in place, add onion and garlic. Cook for about four minutes. The onions should be soft, but don’t wait until they turn brown.
Add one of the cans of black beans to the blender. Add the now-soft onions and cumin seeds to the blender. If you would like to use red pepper, place the flakes in the blender at this stage. Cover and blend on high for about half a minute and add the mixture to the pot.
Take the second can of black beans and place them in the blender. Add the chicken broth and puree. Pour the mixture into the pot. Blending helps in thickening the soup.
Finally, add the last can of black beans. This is also the perfect time to add tomatoes, green chillies, and corn. Bring your mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes on low heat.
Garnish with sour cream. Other optional garnishes include diced avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips.
If you would like your meal to have more vegetables, you might consider incorporating pumpkin. You can add the pumpkin with the last can of black beans.
Keep in mind that this recipe still has room for creativity. For instance, there would be no harm in adding carrots to it. You can also add some lime juice.

Best Way to Cut your Tomatoes

There are several ways of cutting your tomatoes. You can dice, cut them into wedges, or go the julienne way. For your black bean soup recipe, diced tomatoes are the best.

The first thing you need to do while dicing tomatoes is clean them thoroughly with cold water. Then take a paring knife and use it to remove the core of the tomato. Next, pick a chef’s knife and cut the tomato vertically into slices. Now place the pieces on the chopping board and cut them lengthwise. Your diced tomatoes are ready.

For best results, ensure that your knives are sharp. It is also essential to work on a non-slip cutting board. You can refer to these rules when dicing your onions as well.

Serving The Black Bean Soup

Being on the Weight Watcher program doesn’t mean eating bland meals. There is so much room for having fun. Some of the things that would go perfectly with the delicious black bean include:

Mexican rice
Easy cornbread
Fresh corn salad
Buttermilk drop biscuits
Cilantro lime rice
Chimichurri garlic bread
Smoked sausage and potatoes

Storing Leftovers

The above recipe is enough for more than a single serving. Therefore, you might want to store your leftover soup. Lucky for you, the black bean soup can stay in the refrigerator for up to five days. Just ensure that you place it in an airtight container.

You can also freeze the leftovers for up to two months. Pour the soup into a freezer container, label the date, and you are good to go.

When you finally want to consume your leftover black bean soup, reheat it in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. You can also reheat it in a saucepan over low heat. Add a splash of water for the best results.

Health Benefits of Black Beans

Black beans are rich in antioxidants, fiber, carbohydrates, and protein. Therefore, a meal of black bean soup can reduce the risk of some medical conditions. It also helps your body process calories more effectively.

Black Beans Help with Sugar Regulations

Foods rich in carbohydrates are known to spike a person’s blood sugar. However, that is not the case with black beans. On the contrary, this meal tends to regulate blood sugar. Therefore, it is ideal for people with diabetes.

Promoting Heart Health

Eating black beans can lower the total amount of bad cholesterol in your blood. That goes a long way in reducing the risk of developing heart problems.

Eye Health

As you have read, black beans are rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants help reduce vision loss, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.

Weight Control

The black bean recipe is appropriate for the Weight Watcher program because it’s ideal for weight control. This can be attributed to the beans’ high protein level, fiber, and slow-digesting carbohydrates. This meal will leave you feeling fuller for longer.

FAQs:

Here are some of the commonly asked about Weight Watchers program.

What can you eat on Weight Watchers?

You can eat anything while following the Weight Watchers plan. However, members are encouraged to lean more toward whole, unprocessed foods like fruits and lean proteins. The most important thing is staying under your daily points allotment.

Who is eligible for the program?

To become a member, you must weigh at least five pounds above the minimum healthy weight for your height. The minimum age is 18 years. You may not enroll if you are pregnant.

How many points are allowed per day?

Different foods have different points depending on their calories. Typically, you are assigned 30 points per day. Besides, weekly points vary depending on height, weight, and gender.

Can I skip workout if I’m on Weight Watchers?

Although exercise is not a fundamental part of the Weight Watchers plan, members are encouraged to uphold an active lifestyle. Members even have an activity goal (FitPoints) alongside the intake goal.

You can also read: