Dice up your onion while heating the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion to the pot and saute for two minutes, or until it begins to soften.
While the onion is cooking, chop garlic and chipotle.
Stir the garlic, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano in with the onion. Continue to saute over medium heat for another two minutes.
Stir in the beans, vegetable broth, sea salt and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.
Puree soup to your desired consistency with an immersion blender. (You can also puree a little more than half of the soup — carefully! — in a regular blender, if you don’t have an immersion blender.)
Serve with optional add-ins: Fresh lime juice, chopped avocado, chopped green onion, sour cream, crushed up tortilla chips. A squeeze of lime juice and a little sour cream are highly recommended to brighten up the flavor in your individual bowls before serving, if you have on hand.
Notes
Since we’re pantry cooking, here: If you don’t have chipotle in adobo on hand, never fear. This adds a smoky kick to the soup, but you could instead try substituting something like salsa, diced green chiles, or even chili powder + a little more smoked paprika to taste.I like my black bean soup on the “soupier” side. If you prefer yours thicker, you can cut down the broth to two cups.