This is a very flavorful black bean soup. -If you want to make it vegan, swap veggie stock for the chicken stock. -If you want to make it more omnivore, throw a smoked ham hock in it. Cuban Black Bean Soup 1# dried black beans 2 medium onions, chopped 2 Tb minced ginger root 4 cloves minced garlic 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 2 hot peppers (jalapeño or serrano), seeded and minced ¼ cup minced fresh parsley 1 tsp thyme 1 bay leaf Water to cover 2 cups chicken stock 4 tsp soy sauce (1 1/3 TB) Directions Soak beans overnight in 6 cups water; drain. Preheat oven to 375°. Place soaked, drained beans in ovenproof casserole, small roasting pan or crock pot container. Add rest of non-liquid ingredients, then enough water to cover (about 5 cups). Add stock and soy sauce. Bake until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Remove bay leaf. Blend some or all of the soup to thicken it, if desired.
That sounds like how I cook pinto beans for Frijoles a la Charra, except I don't put any ginger in them and I use cilantro instead of parsley. Oh, and I add a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles and I use my Instant Pot (pressure cooker) to cook.
I was going to post a variation of this recipe where you make a sofrito and add it at the end (not sure where I picked up that method), but I've never tried it. And my instructions are cryptic (some onions, some garlic, some bell peppers/cumin/oregano.) Then add lime juice (or vinegar) and sugar. Not sure why there's no cilantro...it's prevalent in Cuban cuisine.
That's the thing about a pot of beans; it's hard to mess 'em up. You can just toss stuff in there and still get something yummy. I like to put a bit of ham or bacon in most beans for a little flavor. I bought a bag of white lima beans in my last grocery order; I love those things and it's getting to be "bean weather."
My neighbors have a small garden every year and brought me a couple of bags of broccoli greens. I sauteed half of them as you would kale, and made a pot of navy bean & ham soup, and put the rest of the greens in with that. So very good... I keep ham shanks, smoked pork neck bones and smoked hocks in the freezer for such things.