Today I am going on the 5th day of being sick. Last week my throat and head started to hurt; I knew that I was getting sick. I am usually pretty lucky because I rarely get sick with a cold. This time around I wasn't so lucky. I'm not even sure where I caught this cold; maybe it was on the Metro. Anyways, this cold will not go away. I'm trying my best, but it doesn't want to go away. I'm hoping that eating lots of soup will cure this cold.
One of my new favorite soups is a Mexican Bean and Tomato Soup. The base of this soup is made of a bean puree. I used my frijoles de olla recipe to cook the beans. I let the beans cool and then puree them with some of the cooking liquid. I usually love pinto beans in soups, but the other week at the market I discovered Peruano beans. I went to buy some Flor de Mayo beans to make refried beans, but my favorite vendor was out. She recommend the Peruano Bean. She said that they will cook a little faster and are super creamy and delicious. I bought some and she was right. They are rich and creamy. After making refried beans with the Peruano beans, I knew that I wanted to create a bean soup with them. The bean puree can be made a day or two ahead of time. Just refrigerate in a storage container until your are ready to make the soup. If you can't find Peruano beans, I would imagine that pinto beans would be a good substitute. I would also try using Cannellini or Navy beans as well.
Like many Mexican recipes, this soup has a cooked tomato and chile blend that is pureed before getting cooked in oil. This is a very typical way of cooking in Mexico. Many cooked sauces and salsas are pureed than added to hot oil to thicken and cook the sauce. This adds tons of robust flavor to your recipe.
You can garnish this soup with your favorite soup garnishes. I kept things pretty simple and garnished with baked tortilla strips and avocado slices. Vegan Sour Cream would also be a great garnish for this soup.
I hope that you enjoy this Mexican Bean and Tomato Soup as much as I do. It is definitely helping me get rid of this awful cold!
Mexican Bean and Tomato Soup
A simple and comforting bean and tomato soup that will warm you up during the cold months.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Cooked Peruano Beans or Pinto Beans, cooled
- 2 Cups Bean cooking liquid or water
- 6 Roma Tomatoes
- 2-3 Guajillo Chiles, stems and seeds removed
- ½ Red Onion, roughly chopped
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves, peeled
- Water for boiling
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Water or Vegatable Broth
- ½-1 teaspoon Sea Salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garnishes:
- Corn Tortilla Strips, Diced Avocados, Vegan Sour Cream, etc.
Instructions
- Blend the cooked Peruano beans and their 2 cups cooking liquid or water until smooth. Transfer to a bowl or container. This step can be done a day ahead of time. Rinse out the blender.
- In a large saucepan add the tomatoes and the seeded and stemmed guajillo chiles. Cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cook until the tomatoes skins start to break apart and the chiles are softened, about 10 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the tomatoes and chiles to the blender. Add 1 cup of their cooking liquid. Also add the onion and peeled garlic. Let the mixture cool a minute or two before blending. Blend the mixture until smooth.
- In a large soup pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once heated carefully add the blended tomatoes. It might splatter, so stand back a bit. Cook until the mixture has thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Lower the heat to medium.
- Once the tomato mixture has thickened, stir in the cooked and pureed beans. It might take a minute of stirring to fully incorporate the beans into the soup. Once the beans are incorporated, add the water or broth, salt and black pepper.
- Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, until it has thickened a little. Taste and adjust seasonings
- Serve with your favorite garnishes!
Notes
Prep time doesn't include the bean cooking time. If making frijoles de olla, you'll need about 2 ½-3 hours to cook the beans. This can be done a day ahead of time.
*I used this frijoles de olla recipe to make the beans a day before I made the soup. This made the soup come together fast and easy!
Hope you have a great Wednesday!
XO
Jeni
VeggieNextDoor
This looks delicious! I love how the beans would make tomato soup much heartier! Hope you are feeling better!