A pinto bean and tortilla soup that is rich with flavor and super fun to eat especially when you top it with all the things, including (but not limited to) sour cream, cheese, avocados, tortilla chips, and hot sauce.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the soup
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1½ tbsp olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
pinch of sugar
¾ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp adobo sauce
2 cups bean broth (from can or cooking homemade beans)
2 cups vegetable broth
15 oz canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked pinto beans
For the toppings
sour cream
avocados
shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
cilantro
limes
tortilla chips
hot sauce
Instructions
For the soup
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, carrots, jalapenos, and garlic to the pan. Season with the salt and sugar and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 20 minutes.
Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and adobo sauce and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the broth (both bean and vegetable), canned tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and lime juice.
Remove from the heat and divide into serving bowls. Top with suggested mix-ins above, as desired.
Notes
If you're cooking your own dried beans from scratch (and you should!!), reserve 2 cups of the cooking broth for this soup. Otherwise you can reserve the broth from a can of beans or just substitute an equal volume of vegetable broth.