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Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

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Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

I’m coming up for air. I’ve spent the past couple of days working on the redesign of Fatfree Vegan Recipes, the website that spawned this blog. Although the really tricky stuff like coding and css and, for all I know, nuclear particle acceleration was done by a very talented web designer at E. Webscapes, I’ve had the incredibly mind numbing (and eye straining and finger cramping) job of copying and pasting all of the old recipes into the new format.

I’ve had my daughter helping me, and so far we’re only up to number 76 of 1300, a realization that makes me want to run screaming into the street. I don’t trust myself to do any more right now (letters are starting to slide around on the screen), so I thought I’d take a break from all that and post you a recipe.

Unfortunately, posting a recipe requires looking at a screen, and the letters are starting to slide around here too (a few are even break dancing). So excuse me if I’m too brief or misspell or suddenly start swearing like Gordon Ramsay. This soup was delicious, and it deserves better treatment than I can give it right now, but thems the breaks.

Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

The short story behind it is that I saw it, or the one it’s based on, in Eating Well magazine, and couldn’t resist making it, with a few changes:

  1. Instead of tofu I used pinto beans.
  2. Then I doubled the amount of pinto beans because I wanted it main-dishier (see, I’m making up words; swearing can’t be far behind).
  3. I used Mexican oregano instead of epizote because I like Mexican oregano and don’t have any epizote.
  4. I added chipotle powder because I wanted it to be spicier (without it, it’s deeply chile-flavored but not spicy at all).
  5. I divided it into 6 servings instead of 8 because my family and I eat like pigs (only messier) and because I wanted it to be main-dishier (see #2).

I hope you’ll enjoy it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go take a walk before I get back to swearing at my computer screen.

5 from 4 votes
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Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

Adding pinto beans makes this more of a main dish soup, but it could be even heartier with more greens and vegetables added.
Course Soup
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 282 kcal
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 3 large dried New Mexico chiles (or pasilla or ancho chiles, see note below)
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes , preferably fire-roasted
  • 1 medium onion , chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic , peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth or no-chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 cups pinto beans , cooked
  • salt to taste
  • 6 corn tortillas
  • 1 large lime , cut into 6 wedges
  • 4 cups chopped spinach , chard, or kale leaves (packed)
  • 1 ripe large avocado , cut into 1/4-inch cubes (optional, but very good)

Instructions

  1. Toast the chiles. If you have a gas stove, you can hold them with tongs over the flame one at a time for a few seconds until fragrant. But if like me you use an electric stove, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat and press them flat for a few seconds on each side. (See Notes below for using chile powder instead.)
  2. When the chilies are cool enough to handle, stem and seed them, tear them into pieces, and put them in a blender along with tomatoes and their juice.
  3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if it starts to stick. Pour it all into the blender along with the chipotle powder and process until smooth.
  4. Return the pot to medium heat. When hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. (Careful–watch for hot, bubbling “eruptions”!) Add broth, water, oregano (if using), and drained pinto beans. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  5. While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortillas. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut each tortilla in half (can be done in a stack if you have a sharp knife). Then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Place the strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool uncovered until soup is ready.
  6. Add spinach (or chard or kale) to the soup and season with salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes for spinach, longer for chard or kale.
  7. Ladle the soup into 6 soup bowls. Divide avocado and tortilla chips among the bowls. Serve warm, with lime wedges.

Recipe Notes

Using dried chiles gives this soup a great flavor, but if they are unavailable, you can try using a pure chile powder, such as Ancho, instead. No need to toast, just add it to the blender with the tomatoes. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed. Be sure the chile you are using is mild, unless you want it spicy!

If you skip the avocado, each serving contains 228 calories and 1.5g fat.

Nutrition Facts
Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 282 Calories from Fat 57
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6.3g 10%
Sodium 489mg 20%
Total Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Dietary Fiber 13.7g 55%
Sugars 3.7g
Protein 12.4g 25%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pinable image below:

This fantastic tortilla soup is completely vegan and contains no added oil so you can indulge.

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Comments

  2. Your recipes are always wonderful, and I'm sure this one will not disappoint!! Your blog/website is always the first place I go when I am in need of a good vegan recipe.

    Reply

  3. This sounds great. I have some black beans (with extras for later) on and I may substitute them for the pintos just because I'll have them ready.

    I can't imagine transferring that many recipes over. I think I'd try to bribe my "techy" daughter into it…lol.

    Reply

  4. Ha! Walmart Vegan, that's exactly what I'm doing: I'm paying my (nearly) 13-year-old to do it. I'm paying by the recipe and it's a bargain; the kid is so fast and conscientious. But I'm still going over each one and adding a couple of things before they're ultimately posted, so even having a fast teenager help it's a big job.

    I keep telling myself that I put all those recipes there to begin with and I can do it again. But I'm not as young as I used to be so I'm slowing down.

    Reply

    • First of all, this soup sounds so tasty! I needed a new recipe for pinto beans. Plus, I love spicy food. Thanks!
      It sounds like you need to hire a VA (or two!) to transfer all your recipes. That’s way too much. 😛

      Reply

  5. this looks wonderful, and i'm going to try it tonight. the thing i like best about your recipes is how adaptable they are. i really dislike chipotle, but there are ways to get around this. and THANKS for the great tip on charring peppers (put them in a hot pan and press them down, first one side, then the other). it's much easier than trying to char them over the flame. and i don't see why a person can't use a gas stove for this just as well as an electric.

    anyway, looking forward to this!!

    Reply

  6. Well if it's any consolation for all your hard work…I took a peek at the recipe site and it looks SOOOOO good!! Almost as good as the soup!

    Reply

  7. Yum – this looks great. Since its winter I'm on a soup kick. 🙂

    I'm looking forward to the swearing like Gordon Ramsey, actually…

    Reply

  8. This recipe sounds great, but I prefer to limit the amount of work I put into my food prep. Is there a product you can recommend so I don't have to toast my own chiles?
    Kathy G

    Reply

  9. Misty, I could set up a microphone by my computer…. 😉

    KathyG, you can use ancho chile powder instead of dried chiles. It's not exactly the same, and you may have to play around with measurements, but it's worth a try. I've read that 1 tablespoon of chile powder is equal to one dried chile, but I would probably try less than that and add it to taste.

    Reply

  10. I'm not making this tonight, and now I wish that I was! This soup will definitely make the list for next week. It looks delicious.

    Reply

  11. Hi! I love your site and this is the first time that I have written in. Fabulous recipes!!

    A friend of mine just redid her blog, and found someone on e-lance to copy all the material for her. Their rate was super cheap too. Might be something to consider…to save your eyes, and fingers, and keep those recipes coming.

    Best,
    G.

    Reply

  13. YUM!! I cant wait to try this. I always loved the tortilla soup from El Torito when I was a kid . . . now it just doesn't appeal to me and it's hard to find a good recipe for it!

    Reply

  14. This looks (and reads) absolutely amazing, Susan! I'm always looking for more bean/legume recipes. I'll definitely try this over the weekend. And thank you for all your amazing, inspiring hard work on the website and blog–you make healthy vegan living a joy to behold.

    Reply

  15. As someone who has done site redesign for my business you have my biggest sympathy.
    Hang in there and Big hugs for the fine job. I know you will have a big celebration when its done.
    I cannot wait to try your adaptation of the recipe.Everything I have made from your site has been wonderful.
    Thank You for your diligent hard work.

    Reply

  18. Poor you, that sounds like a hellish amount of tedious work, but the soup is great. i love the chunks of avocado floating on top.

    Reply

  22. HI Susan,

    This looks really good, and I have to put it on my "to make" list! Hang in there with the recipe transfers. . I love the image of letter break dancing. . your wit is remains sharp despite the exhaustion!

    xo

    moonwatcher

    Reply

  23. Oooooh, this looks delicious! I'm definitely trying it soon. The avo cubes and tortillas strips did me in. Thanks, Susan.

    Reply

  24. Posting is not taking a 'break' so thank you for being so dedicated to you readers even when swamped with website work!! 🙂

    My husband and I are geting ready to move my websites to a dedicated server and I am quite worried about the process (as is he- and he is the computer whiz kid).

    This soup looks great. I don't know if I have ever used pinto beans before!

    Reply

  26. Susan, one thing my father-in-law told my dh when he was just a boy when picking cotton was to not look at the acres and acres of cotton, but to only look at the one row.

    When that row was done, then only look at the next row and so forth. And it worked. The job didn't seem so gigantic anymore. 🙂

    And my dh still remembers that when he comes across a task that seems overwhelming.

    I'm glad you took a break by the way. This recipe looks fabulous. I'm from New Mexico and just wanted to say that it's also very authentic. Can't wait to give it a try. It would go great with your confetti cornbread!

    We appreciate YOU!

    Reply

  27. I've been eating a lot of (almost)this exact same dish! I love pinto beans, and since I recently acquired a magical thing called a pressure cooker, I've been making this a lot, and adding greens to it.

    P.S. Your blog makes me laugh! Love your wit! 🙂

    Reply

  28. Sooz!
    this is the kind of soup i could happily make while sleepwalking over the kitty-cat. I adore Southwestern and Mexican cooking,as you know,but I am an exile in England, with a woman who doesn't much like chilies, smoked or unsmoked. What's a po'veg-boy to do? Work around it! If you made me this soup I'd have to work along-side you, giggling and swearing as much as that damn Ram(sey). But he loses out big time:I have no need to buy his cook books (or Jaime Oliver's,or any hot mouthy chef. they have some good ideas, but they are meat-eaters and I am not.I was going through a few foodie e-mails today, and chuckled that you & I and a few others can make great food for vegetarians faster than they can edit and present. Food Heroine? You, Mollie Katzen and Julia Child. Good company.Torilla soup? Oh YUM! Might have to print this one…at least when Lesley wants to cool down the chilpotles or smoked paprika or a too-hot NM pepper or white pepper, she goes for tortilla chips or sour cream…, I am Southwestern-izing her,but oh so slowly.That's when I reach for something Italian or Hunan or Polynesian, and "pray". it is hard to change a person's cultural eating tastes!

    Reply

  32. lol–i'm enjoying your frazzled, made up words post
    since you have over 1200 recipes to go (not to remind you)…looks like you'll be in this mode for some time 🙂

    Reply

  33. I made this soup last night (more or less)–so thanks for the inspiration! :0

    In case it helps anyone, I used regular chili powder (what I had), but the tomatoes I used were fire-roasted and adobo seasoned (thank you, Muir Glenn). The dried chiles I used were from an Indian grocer, so probably not a New Mexican variety. And, I used a mix of pinto & black beans.

    And, lastly, I served it with arepas, since i had no tortillas. And, being out of avocado, I added some cubed sweet/ripe plantain, that I had already cooked and leftover. It added a really nice & unique flavor dimension to the soup.

    …the leftovers were even better for lunch today.

    so thanks!

    Reply

  36. Good thing I checked my email before going to the grocery store. It sounds really yummy, so I will be making it today.

    Beautiful picture, as usual. I am still trying to get there with the quality of my food pics…

    Reply

  39. HI Susan,
    I just made your blueberry banana bread and a conventional non-vegan banana bread for a friend to taste. My family gave thumbs up to yours, thumbs down to the conventional! Thanks for creating such a delicious and healthy bread.
    Kristina

    Reply

  40. Took these to church today and they were devoured. High percent of vegans/veggies but everyone seemed to enjoy them. Not overly sweet but very flavorful.

    Reply

  41. Just made this tonight for dinner and it was WONDERFUL. I only made two minor changes: I didn't use chipotle powder (I live in NM so I can get hot dried chiles) and I added two diced green chiles. Fantastic recipe, keep up the good work!

    Reply

  42. Made it! I used a little 7.5 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of the dried peppers – probably too spicy for most people but I loooove it that way. Followed everything else except I was too lazy to do the tortillas… so I used Fritos instead! :> Very very very yummy!!!!

    Reply

  43. Awesome idea to sub beans for tofu! I am not a fan of tofu, and don't digest it very well, and always sub it for something else – usually tempeh, but beans are a superb thought. Thanks!

    Reply

  44. I love this!!!! I am a veggie, but not yet a vegan (I just love fish and cheese too much). I am always trying to do new things with beans…thank you! You can find me at cooleatsandhottreats.blogspot.com

    Reply

  47. good luck with redoing your website – sounds like something to do in front of a movie on the telly – but then the mistakes creep in don't they – well am glad you are still sharing your lovely soup with us despite little energy for all things computers

    Reply

  50. What a daunting task! The Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans looks fabulous! Especially garnished with avocado! DELICIOUS!

    Reply

  52. OMG Susan, the new site is going to be fabulous! And thanks to Laina for passing on the wisdom to "only look at the one row". Jeez, if we all did that every day of our lives think of what could be accomplished.

    I love tortillas and pintos. Plus chipotle chile rules. For some reason avocados have been on special here and there locally too. Synchronicity?

    Reply

  53. Another great recipe, Susan. We're getting the first taste of autumn here with some cooler nights so I jumped at the chance to make soup after weeks of salads. Chipotle chilli powder is not something that's available here so I did without, but a friend suggested either smoked paprika or liquid smoke to try and replicate the smokiness. Do you think either of those would work?

    Reply

  54. Sarahk, the Mew Mexico chiles and roasted tomatoes really make it smokey enough, but the chipotle adds heat, so instead of smoked paprika or liquid smoke, I would suggest using cayenne or another hot red pepper. But you should make it to your taste, so if you prefer smokey to spicy, one of those ingredients might suit you better.

    Reply

  55. I made this the other night for my omni-husband and two friends and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful recipes. I just celebrated my one year anniversay of eating completely vegan. I would never have been able to do it without your blog. – Kathleen

    Reply

  56. i made this, and i happily discovered goya's chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. since i don't really like the taste of chipotle peppers in the ubiquitous salsa dips, i spooned out just two of the smallish peppers, and chopped them very fine. with the adobo sauce that clung to the peppers, it made about 1/4 cup on my chopping board…but i scraped it into the soup pot, stirred it up, and then let the soup cook for quite a while. well! the effect was magical! i could taste only a hint of the smokey chipotles, but there was this wonderful HEAT–like the first warm day in spring. absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  59. Thanks for this recipe. I finally made it tonight (I printed it off a while back meaning to make it) when I realized i had everything I needed. While it wasn't a huge hit with the kids (they are tough with stuff mixed together, so soups generally don't win) my husband and I both loved it. It tastes very "restauranty" but I found it very simple to prepare (it helps to have a vitamix that I like to use). Thanks for the recipe and I can't wait to try more!

    Reply

  60. I saw that recipe in Eating Well as well. Yours looks (and sounds) even better!
    When I switched platforms, I didn't need to retype anything. Not sure what kind of magic my husband used, but it all just transferred. He even said it was easier than he thought it would be. Sorry your process is A LOT more painful 🙁 Oh and swearing is definitely allowed. lol

    Reply

  62. This soup was delicious. Most soups are better on the second day but this one was perfect immediately off the stove. I want to tell you how much I enjoy your site and recipes, especially the soups! Yummy, healthy, and not too hard to make! Thank you.

    Reply

  67. I have made a tortilla/taco soup with my high powered blender. Of course it does not make this much, and I have to add the veggies, beans and chips last so they are chunky and just ‘pulse’ a few times, but the clean up is quick and easy.

    I have not used greens in my tortilla soup before, I like that idea. It’s kinda like a “sneaky – green game” to see how much greens you can sneak into your families tummies with out them knowing. ;0

    However, tonight, I caught my 7 yo actually sneaking some spinach leaves out of the container and chomping down on them!!! Sweet moments! 🙂

    Reply

  69. I’m not vegan, but I am always interested in tasty, lowfat recipes. This is a good one — with the addition of a bit more chili powder and cumin. I am a lover of spicy food.

    Reply

  70. Aaaw, Susan, you have our sympathy, and thanks for sharing all your delicious cruelty-free recipes! You have turned this very unenthusiastic cook into a a very enthusiastic one. ♥

    Reply

  71. Just want to thank you for the awesome job you have been doing and also for the hard work of transferring all the recipes. Love your sense of humor!!!! Sue Justus

    Reply

  72. This soup turned out AWESOME! I didn’t think it would be filling enough for a meal, but boy was I wrong. My carnivorous husband gobbled it right up. Thank you!

    Reply

  76. Hi Susan,
    I’m making this right now. 8 cups of liquid seems too much. I’ve put 2 cups of veggie chicken broth on so far and it just seems like it’s going to be very watery soup. IT’s only cooked for 30 min.s so I don’t see how the pinto beans could cook down and thicken it. Am I missing something? The tomatoe puree witht he chilie’s tastes wonderful but something is wrong.
    Katie

    Reply

    • Have you added the 4 cups of greens yet? I haven’t had a problem with it being too watery once all the ingredients are added, but if you want a thicker soup (more stewlike) you could use less water.

      Reply

  77. This was lovely; thank you. I mixed pinto and black, left out the water, added more chili powder and a lot of cilantro. Next time I will also add corn.

    Reply

  78. I, for one, can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate all you do to make my whole foods plant based no refined oils lifestyle easy and wonderful. If I could help you with copying and pasting, I’d do it. Hugs to you and Happy Halloween.

    Reply

  79. This was unbelievably delicious and I will make it again. I added too much heat with the chili peppers so I cooked a cup of brown rice and added it in. I used kale instead of spinach and threw in some mild canned chili peppers that I wanted to use up. This is so rich tasting, so flavorful, and the best part is, I ate it for lunch and have a huge pot left at home. Thank you so much – it is wonderful!!!

    Reply

  80. thank you for sharing this lovely meal it s really delicios meal i like it so much i will try it defintlly it look so profissionel i dont knw if i can make it exacly but i ll try thank you for posting waiting for more exiting things

    Reply

  81. I love your site and everything I’ve made from it…except for this. It is inediblely spicy and has a bitterness too. I’m going to try refrigerate it tonight and try to fix it tomorrow. Any advice? I followed the recipe to the letter.

    Reply

    • Sorry about that, Alison. I guess chiles vary in spiciness because when I make this, it isn’t very spicy (to my taste). You could try adding more beans and maybe some corn to dilute the flavor. A pinch of sweetener might help with the bitterness. Or maybe some chopped sweet potato.

      Reply

  82. I would like to thank you for all the delicious recipes that you have provided on your blog. My husband and I have eaten many of them.
    I have also passed your site on to many of my family and friends.

    Your hard work is very much appreciated and I wanted to tell you that.

    Carol

    Reply

  83. This looks great!

    Ay yi yi, there has got to be a better way than copy and paste. Are the old site’s recipes stored in any kind of database? If so, surely a smart computer sciencey kid can come up with a way of exporting and importing the tables for you.

    Reply

  85. I’m not vegan, but I am always interested in tasty, lowfat recipes. This is a good one — with the addition of a bit more chili powder and cumin. I am a lover of spicy food.

    Reply

  86. Thyis is a bit confusing to me Susan. Do you add the onion & garlic to teh blender where you blended the tomato and chiles, then blend them all again and sieve into a puree?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes, except for the sieving part. I put the chilies and tomatoes into the blender, add the cooked onion and garlic, purée it all, and pour it back into the pan you cooked the onions in.

      Reply

      • Thanks Susan,

        I guess the guajillo and anchos aren’t so bad, but I use Arbols in a lot of the things I make and if you don’t sieve them you get these little pieces of pepper skin taht seem like plastic confetti in the dish.
        I’m trying to make a batch of Jeff Novick’s burgers spiced Mexican Then I’m going to put them into this base to make my al-bean-digas soup.

        Thanks again,

        Mark

        Reply

  87. I made this for lunch today. I did not vary from your expert guidance. I used guajillo chile, and it was light & mild. Tender kale from the garden was in good company in this soup.

    Reply

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