Six-Ingredient Pinto Bean Soup
A simple Mexican bean soup famous in Michoacan that reminds us of a lighter tortilla soup.
You read it right, only SIX ingredients to make this incredibly delicious soup. It has the right creaminess and the proper a lightness a soup deserves. Only a few ingredients means splurge on the best quality. I topped this soup with fresh avocado, queso fresco, homemade tortilla strips, and a drizzle of sour cream. The pureed beans in this recipe make for the perfect creamy viscosity and will definitely having you coming back for seconds.
This recipe was developed and inspired by our cooking class studio, Table for 12’s class Michoacan Dinner. As a staple soup from the region, we knew it had to be highlighted and elevated to not only taste the highest quality, but look it.
The secret behind this soup recipe is the time you take to cook the base. If you’ve ever made homemade salsa before you know that the flavor comes from the cooking. The more browning you get, the more flavor develops. Roast your vegetables at a high heat, and don’t blend them until 65% of the vegetables look browned and even a little charred.
Blend your vegetables into a fine puree using more chicken stock as needed, then pour your soup into a pot and start cooking. This will act as your base to your soup and soften your dried chilis. In the same blender, puree your beans with the remaining chicken stock and softened chili to create the body of your soup. This is what makes your soup filling and satisfying. Merry both the base and body together to create the final soup recipe and let those simmer for at least fifteen minutes to develop full flavor. Finish your soup with fresh lime juice and a touch of seasoning.
This recipe freeze beautifully and can actually be repurposed for a multitude of recipes. Use it as an enchilada sauce, mix it with ground beef to make a delicious chili base, even freeze the soup in cubes as a mix-in for bloody Marys.
I love how much of a canvas this soup is to recreating other delicious recipes, but mostly I love how easy of a meal this makes. It takes no more than thirty minutes to build and that’s my perfect weeknight dinner timing. Enjoy!
Six-Ingredient Pinto Bean Soup
Allergens: Citrus
Diet: Vegetarian Vegan
For soup:
- 5 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 jalapeno, seeded
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup white onion, sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans pinto beans, drained
- 1 dried ancho chili
For garnish:
- 6 corn tortillas, sliced thinly lengthwise
- 2 ancho chiles, sliced thinly lengthwise with scissors
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- Kosher salt, for garnish
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup queso fresco
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 ºF
- Toss chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic cloves on a sheet tray with vegatable oil and roast for 10 - 12 minutes or until caramelized.
- Add roasted vegetables to a high-speed blender with one cup of chicken broth then blend into a smooth puree. Pour mixture and dried chili into a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Cook chile until softened, 3 - 4 minutes.
- Combine the drained pinto beans, cooked chili, and 2 cups of chicken broth in the blender until smooth, then add pureed beans and remaining chicken broth to the soup. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to low. Taste for seasoning.
- Fry up tortilla strips in a thin layer of vegetable oil until lightly golden, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with ancho chili strips, just fry for 5 seconds then remove to plate and season.
- Ladle into bowls, then garnish with tortilla and chili crisps, avocado cubes, queso fresco and sour cream.