Sopa Tarasca
This pinto bean soup is creamy, packed with flavor, and hearty enough for a meal! Bonus: it’s super easy to make and cooks up in one pot, making it perfect for weeknight dinners.
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“I love soups as meals because you can batch cook them and they usually get better as they sit, so a soup made on Sunday is often better on Tuesday,” says Chef Jason Wyrick. “Sopa Tarasca is no exception and this one will last about three or four days in your fridge. It’s comforting and super easy to make. The garnishes are optional, but for me the avocado and tortilla strips are non-negotiable. The fried chile strips are traditional but be forewarned it’s fiddly work if you’re not used to making them. That being said, be adventurous and try them! You won’t be disappointed.
Finally, serve this with a side salad of cruciferous veggies like chard, arugula, or kale. When you pair cooked tomatoes with a cruciferous veggie, it promotes the generation of Natural Killer cells (yes, that’s the real scientific name for them.) NK cells target viral infections and tumors and are an important part of your body’s defense mechanism.”
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 large or 2 small ancho chiles, de-stemmed and deseeded (if you don’t have these, you can use a chipotle in adobo)
- ¼ medium-size white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup of the tomato simmering liquid
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups of cooked, rinsed pinto beans, or cooked, rinsed fava beans (my favorite way to make it!)
- 3 more cups of the tomato simmering liquid, divided
Garnishes (use any or all of these)
- Tortilla chips or strips
- Chopped avocado tossed in lime juice and salt
- Fried ancho chile strips**
- Toasted pepitas
- Non-dairy queso fresco (Kite Hill ricotta makes a good substitute)
- Chopped cilantro
Preparation
- In a pot, add the tomatoes and ancho chile and cover with water. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft, but not falling apart. Transfer the tomatoes and ancho chile to a blender, reserving the simmering liquid. To the blender, add the onion, garlic, 1 cup of simmering liquid, cumin, and salt, and puree until smooth.
- In a soup pot, heat the olive oil to medium heat. Add the tomato chile puree, stir, and let simmer. While it is simmering, puree the beans with 2 cups of the simmering liquid until smooth. Add this to the soup pot, along with 1 final cup of the simmering liquid. Stir and let this cook for 10 minutes or so, until it’s creamy.
- Serve with any or all of the garnishes.
** To make fried ancho chile strips, add a ¼” layer of oil to a skillet and bring it to medium. Snip the chiles into ¼” wide, 2” long pieces and transfer to a spider strainer. Fry for 3 to 4 seconds and let cool.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size Makes About 7 Cups of Soup