This quick and easy refried bean soup is loaded with black beans and corn and is so thick it’s almost a chili.
Since I’ve been spending a lot of my spare time bird watching, I’ve slipped into cooking so many “ridiculously easy” recipes that I’ve decided to make Ridiculously Easy a permanent feature on the blog.
Through the magic of blogging, I’ve gone back in time to add a tag to many of the recipes that fit into this category, dishes that take just a few minutes or that allow you to dump your ingredients into a pot and let them cook a short time while you’re free to do other things. Just click on the tag to see the first few recipes that I’ve categorized as Ridiculously Easy, or R.E for short.
Today’s easy recipe turned out to be so delicious and comforting that I can see it becoming a regular meal at my house. Like my last R.E. recipe, it uses refried beans (though I assure you that not all my ridiculous recipes do!) I know that some people turn their noses up at canned refried beans, and though I agree that freshly made taste better, the canned version is such a great convenience.
In this soup, they contribute a wonderful creamy mouth-feel that will make you think the soup is richer than it is. But if you don’t like using canned refried beans, you can always do it the old fashioned way: whiz up a cup and a half of pinto beans in your food processor with a little of their liquid and add them straight to the soup. No frying needed!
For those of you following Weight Watchers Freestyle, this Refried Bean Soup has zero points. Check out more of my zero point recipes.
Smoky Refried Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes I used fire-roasted
- 15 ounces fatfree refried beans 1 can
- 15 ounces cooked black beans 1 can
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8-1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder to taste
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large, non-stick pot and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for one more minute. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the flavors blend, 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Original photo from 2008
Thanks to everyone who emailed and left comments identifying my mystery birds. The robins and cedar waxwings are still hanging around, even after last night’s storms. I’ve discovered that they’ve finished the hackberries and are now eating our holly berries, so I’m hoping there’s enough food for them to stick around a while.
Please spread the word about this recipe by pinning or sharing it!
Shellie
November 21, 2013 at 6:25 pmOn the stove as we speak. I used Spanish Smoked Paprika. Cannot wait to try it.
Shellie
November 21, 2013 at 7:54 pmYUM….perfect. Great recipe. 🙂
clb22
March 4, 2014 at 5:53 amGreat recipe. I made it yesterday and changed it up a little. For our family, we like it even better… just change out the green bell pepper for a poblano pepper! Also we leave out the paprika, hot sauce, oregano, salt & pepper. It is a go to recipe for sure.
Andrea
April 29, 2014 at 2:39 pmI just made this before the kids get home from school. Going to hold the temperature in a crock pot until dinner time. I’m always looking for ways to cook up leftovers. We had leftover refried beans and spanish rice from a restaurant, so I added the beans and I’ll toss the cooked rice into the pot 30 minutes before serving. It smells awesome! I realize that restaurant refried beans aren’t always vegan, but we aren’t a strict vegan/vegetarian household. Thanks for the recipe!
Xan
September 26, 2014 at 12:29 pmI made this recipe for the first time a year ago. I made my own re-fried beans and prepared my own black beans from dried instead of using canned. I have since made this recipe several times and plan on making it again today. It has a nice well rounded flavor and holds up well when frozen. In fact, it’s fantastic to make a double or even triple batch of, then portion it out and freeze to have as easy meals throughout the fall and winter.
Susan
November 3, 2014 at 7:11 pmThis was so delicious and flavorful. I used a fresh hot chili pepper – one of the long skinny kinds – gave it great kick. I added a bit more corn. I want to eat the entire pot myself. Mine came out more like a stew and I am enjoying it that way. What a treat – thank you!!!
Statch
November 8, 2014 at 4:56 pmThis is delicious! I made it according to the recipe, and loved the texture and flavor.
werner
January 11, 2015 at 7:51 pmFinally tried this soup. Sending my daughter off to new, tiny apartment in DC so wanted to practice some ridiculously easy recipes she can use. And as someone posted above, this is ridiculously AWESOME! Seriously licking-the-bowl rich and delicious. I ended up making my own refries and by time to add to soup had made a pretty good dent, so used immersion blender just slightly. Only change: added some canned green chilies. This will be a staple, and probably our new New Year’s soup. Thank you so very much for all the great recipes and keeping it real in the kitchen!
Chen
November 30, 2015 at 11:54 amI was having a massive craving for bean soup this morning. So I made this recipe for the first time and had a big bowl of it for breakfast lol. I topped it with some avocado chunks and lime juice. It was insanely good! Thank you Susan!!
Jill
March 4, 2016 at 10:26 amThis soup is incredibly fast even without canned beans. Although I love my IP, I recently hauled out my old Creuset and have been slow cooking beans in the oven and on the stove top. I’ve fallen in love with the creamy texture of pinto beans cooked this way.
I used a bean masher to smash up the beans before adding to the soup. An immersion blender would have been a great way to do this too. Pretty sure this will be a staple in my house. 🙂 I chopped up some onions and a jalapeno to put on top and baked some corn tortillas to crumble over it.
One of these days I want to do a “Ridiculously Easy” challenge and make one of your RE recipes every day. I’m pretty sure I could live on them exclusively!
Maureen Irvine
March 5, 2017 at 12:29 pmMade this yummy soup his morning. Since I rarely follow a recipe verbatim, I added Bay leaves, basil, a pinch,of sugar, 2 cups of veggie broth , celery, a squeeze of lemon juice , chilli seasoning, a small red pepper in addition to the green one and cilantro at the end.
It was quick, easy and a do again!
Laura Runs a Latte
March 30, 2017 at 1:07 pmI make this one all the time. One of my favorites!!
Tara Smith
July 19, 2017 at 10:41 pmJust made this for dinner… Hubby has given it two thumbs up three times already and he’s only just started! Thank you for the recipe!
Deborah Smith
August 3, 2017 at 6:10 pmYour Smokey Refried Bean Soup was ‘ just out of this world ‘. Thank you so much for helping me on my Vegan journey. 😊💗👍Best wishes from Deborah in Christchurch. New Zealand.
Vibeke Vale
October 2, 2017 at 5:13 pmThis is one of my favourite soups of all time! Just googled it so I can make it this week! YUM!
Lori
December 30, 2017 at 7:48 amI love this recipe and stopped by to copy the ingredients for my grocery list. I wanted to let you know that there are ads for bacon on your site!
Susan Voisin
December 30, 2017 at 8:05 amThanks! I know, and I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do (other than take down all ads, and then I couldn’t afford to keep the website online.) Ad networks these days don’t let you pick which ads you run, so I’m sort of stuck. 😢
nozomibirmignham
January 2, 2018 at 5:47 amWoowww Awesome.
Divorced Kat
February 12, 2018 at 7:11 amAnother great recipe! This made 5 hearty servings. I added an extra can of tomatoes, some cayenne pepper, and the juice of a lime. I’m not vegan so added a bit of cheese on top. Winner!
Jennifer Stevens
October 29, 2018 at 4:49 pmExcellent soup. Thank you!!
Jennifer Stevens
October 29, 2018 at 4:51 pmDelicious soup!!!! Thanks ☺
Christine
May 6, 2019 at 1:35 pmI’ve been doing 0 point lunches on weight watchers, and this was so good! Creamy with great flavor, and couldn’t have been simpler. I have been grossed out by the canned fat free refried beans and was looking for a recipe that could redeem them, and this was it! I definitely plan on making this again and doubling the recipe so I can freeze some.
Bobbi Dwyer
April 5, 2020 at 12:43 pmSusan, you never let us down. Just got finished making and having this soup for lunch. Delicious! Cooked it in the instant pot. I don’t recommend it! 😏. Had some issues with it sticking. I. Think it’s because it is so thick to start with. I did stir it all very well, but it was still a worry. Cooked for 9 minutes and did a quick release.. was a little stuck, but didn’t burn!. Husband loved it too. I served with some salsa and a dollop of sour creme. So good. Thanks!
Sue Alexander
December 3, 2020 at 1:11 pmExcellent tasty fulfilling soup. Smells heartwarming while heating. I add whatever leftovers I have. Sweet potatoes is a must to play with the smoky chipotle/cumin flavors. I usually add some air dried veggies from North Star Trading Company, esp. today when I have no corn. I just add water if it gets too thick. Play inside during COVID time. Finally cold enough in Tucson to make soup! Fun to read all the comments.