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This black bean and roasted tomatillo soup is a delicious Mexican style soup! Its zesty flavor comes from roasting tomatillos with onions and garlic.
It’s taken a while, but I finally love cooking. I used to be the impatient type. But Alex has always loved the process, so he’s helped me learn how to cut vegetables so that it’s soothing, resist the urge to watch the pot until it boils, and avoid over piping hot baked goodies asking whether they’re cool enough to sample yet.
I’m finally starting to understand the rhythm and waiting in cooking, and it’s especially present in this delicious black bean and tomatillo soup! The beautiful flavor of roasting tomatillos with onions and garlic is absolutely worth the effort.
First, what are tomatillos?
Tomatillos are little fruits that are native to Mexico, but they’re also grown in the US. They look like green, unripe tomatoes with a dry husk that wraps around the outside (hence their nickname, husk tomatoes). Tomatillos are bright green and taste acidic, a little less sweet than a typical tomato. They’re also the main ingredient for salsa verde, if you’re a salsa verde lover!
We picked up our tomatillos at our farmer’s market – check one near you to see if they’re in season! You can also find them at the grocery in the produce section when they’re in season. Tomatillos are typically in season in the fall in America; you’ll have to ask at your local grocery or farmer’s market for specifics.
Tips for roasting tomatillos
A few years ago, I would have taken a shortcut on a roasted tomatillo soup. Why waste the time roasting the veggies? Just throw them in the pot and cook them down as fast as possible.
Those of you more experienced chefs know that the more time invested in a recipe, generally the better it tastes. So these days we’re okay with taking the extra time to roast, or simmer, or chop. It feels good to make it the right way if there’s time, instead of trying to take the easy way out.
Roasting tomatillos is very simple. First, remove the papery husks from the tomatillos, which easily slide off using your fingers. After you’ve removed the husk, you’ll notice a sticky film on the surface of the tomatillo. Rinse the tomatillos under warm water and it comes right off!
Then, roughly chop the tomatillos and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. This recipe involves roasting tomatillos with onions, garlic, and jalapeno peppers, which imparts a fantastic flavor!
How to make tomatillo soup
This is a lovely tomatillo soup, and really doesn’t take too much time to put together, outside of roasting tomatillos and veggies for about 20 minutes. It’s based on a recipe from the talented Gwyneth Paltrow, and has a subtle, intriguing flavor.
After you roast the tomatillos, you blend together the roasted veggies with veggie broth to use as the base of the soup. Then you add black beans and hominy, and simmer until warmed through.
The garnishes are where this soup really shines: radishes, cilantro and lime bring a zesty flavor that you won’t be able to stop eating! Or, try swirling in Homemade Mexican Crema or adding Tortilla Strips for a crunch.
More tomatillo recipes
Outside of this tomatillo soup, here are a few more of our tomatillo recipes:
- Tomatillo Salsa with Fresh Tomatillos
- Green Enchiladas with Quinoa
- Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)
Dietary notes
This roasted tomatillo soup is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Frequently asked questions
Roasting the tomatillos and other vegetables (like onions, peppers, and garlic) is highly recommended. It brings out their natural sweetness and adds a depth of flavor that elevates the soup. However, if you’re short on time, you can sauté them on the stovetop instead.
Absolutely! If you prefer a spicier soup, you can add the jalapeño seeds to the vegetables when roasting them. Alternatively, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce to the finished soup.
This soup is delicious on its own, but you can also serve it with a variety of toppings and sides. Some popular options include:
A dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt
A sprinkle of chopped cilantro or green onions
A squeeze of lime juice
Crumbled tortilla chips or crispy tostadas
Avocado slices
A side of warm cornbread or crusty bread
Black Bean & Roasted Tomatillo Soup
This black bean and roasted tomatillo soup is a delicious Mexican style soup! Its zesty flavor comes from roasting tomatillos with onions and garlic.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Ingredients
- 12 small tomatillos
- 2 red onions
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 3 garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
- 15-ounce can hominy
- 8 radishes
- 3 green onions
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped + 3 sprigs
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse them, then roughly chop them. Chop the red onions, and jalapeno peppers (remove the seeds). Cut the garlic cloves into quarters.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chopped veggies on the sheet, drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the hominy and black beans. Also, prepare the garnishes: thinly slice the radishes and green onions, and chop the cilantro.
- Add the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add the vegetable broth, and use an immersion blender to puree until fully blended (alternatively, transfer the hot soup to a blender, then blend and return it to the pot).
- Add 3 sprigs of cilantro and the hominy and black beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Remove the cilantro sprigs. Pour into bowls, and garnish with green onions, radishes, cilantro, and fresh-squeezed lime juice.
Notes
Adapted from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen
I’ve made this Black bean & toasted Tomatillo soup twice and it gets better every time. I absolutely love this soup. I first had it at a local vegetarian restaurant and decided to google the soup, and there it was. Thank you.
So glad you have enjoyed!
Great recipe!! I couldn’t track down any hominy so I used sweet corn, and next time I think I’ll leave in some of the jalapeno seeds to add some heat. But I’ll definitely be making this again.
I made this soup today and it was delicious! Can you freeze it? I have a ton of tomatillos from my garden right now and I’m looking for ways to use them. Thanks!!
Yes, it should freeze well!
Just made it. Delicious! Swapped out the hominy (never seen it to buy) with two cobs of corn. Left out the cilantro because I didn’t have any. Roasted all the veg in the air fryer before adding to pot (including the corn). First time ever eating tomatillos. Great soup.
GOOD SOUP! Had a huge crop of tomatillos so I’ve tried making enchilada sauces, salsas, and jam. I have eaten them raw on salads, grilled with other veggies and added to soups and hot dishes. But, this soup is the best tomatillo recipe I’ve made so far! I followed directions and used ingredients except I did omit the cilantro (not a fan) and added 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp lime juice to the finished soup to brighten the flavor. (Too much lime significantly changes the flavor.). Roasted veggies 45 min. to get good carmelization. Deglazed pan with broth to get all the brown bits of flavor. Carmelization causes soup to be golden instead of bright green like other recipes. Hominy really is good in this soup, so try it! I prefer yellow hominy but white works too. I served it with green onions, crushed tortilla chips and grated Cotilla cheese. I’ve think I’ve just discovered how to use up the last of my tomatillos!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
We’ve grown tomatillos for the first time this year, and got lots! Just made this soup and its lovely and creamy, i added some corn and blackeyed beans as that’s what was in the cupboard and some cauliflower that needed using up. It’s really tasty and the onions and tomatillos give such a lovely texture! Thanks for a great recipe