Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as avocado oil
½ white or yellow onion, diced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (3 cups)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 ripe Hass avocado, for serving
½ lime
Yogurt or Mexican crema, for serving
Tostadas or tortilla chips, for serving
Directions
1
Add oil to a medium pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, about 2 minutes, add the onion and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the onion begin to change color, about 5 minutes.
2
Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until tomatoes are falling apart.
3
Mash the beans and tomatoes with a masher or a wooden spoon, and simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened. Taste for salt.
4
While the soup cooks, dice the avocado, squeeze the lime half over it and sprinkle with salt. Set aside until ready to serve.
5
To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Add a generous portion of diced avocado and top with a dollop of yogurt and a tostada if you wish.
Description
This is the bean soup for when you need something cozy and fast. Inspired by sopa Tarasca, a bean, tomato and chile soup from the Purépecha people of Michoacán in western Mexico, this version uses canned pinto beans and chipotles in adobo for convenience that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. And like almost every Mexican soup, you get to customize your bowl with toppings to match your mood. Use any broth you have on hand and add more chipotles if you’re craving heat.