Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup with Sofrito and Smoked Ham

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-05-22 · Updated 2026-05-22

A rich, smoky black bean soup simmered with a fragrant tomato and pepper sofrito base, perfect for cozy dinners. This Latin American-inspired soup recipe, ready in about 135 minutes, pairs dried black beans, water, olive oil for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 280 calories and feeds 6, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried black beans
• 6 cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium, diced green bell pepper
• 1 medium, diced red bell pepper
• 1 medium, diced yellow onion
• 5 minced garlic cloves
• 1 (about 8 oz) smoked ham hock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin ground
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• for serving lime wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped for garnish fresh cilantro

The stock pot we’d simmer this in → Best Stock Pots for 2026: Top Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Rinse 1 cup dried black beans and soak in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse again.
2. Step 2: In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 medium diced yellow onion, 1 medium diced green bell pepper, 1 medium diced red bell pepper, and 5 minced garlic cloves. Sauté for 6-7 minutes until vegetables are softened and aromatic.
3. Step 3: Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tsp dried oregano. Cook for 2 minutes until tomato paste darkens slightly.
4. Step 4: Add soaked beans, 6 cups water, 1 smoked ham hock, 1 bay leaf, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender and soup thickens.
5. Step 5: Remove ham hock, shred meat and return it to the soup. Remove bay leaf. Adjust seasoning as needed.
6. Step 6: Serve hot garnished with 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges on the side to squeeze over.