I love winter because it means soup! Soups are such easy meals since there is just one pot and I can make last minute changes depending on what is in the fridge without upsetting the final taste. As you can see from the recipe notes, you can vary this recipe.
This particular soup is a favourite of mine because as you may have guessed by now, I love Mexican food. So many flavours! This dish has them all. If you have my cookbook, Fairytale Food Safari, you may have made the Mexican seasoning on page 188. That mix is particularly good in this recipe. If you don’t have it, just use the alternative spices listed. Enjoy :-).
Hearty Mexican soup
This soup is rich with flavour and goodness. The beans and quinoa provide ample protein and the vegetables may be varied according to season. I sometimes add cauliflower, celery, kale, spinach or broccoli.
Ingredients
- 1 cup black beans, soaked for 8-10 hrs - or 2 x 420g cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1/3 cup quinoa, soaked for 8-10 hrs - Soaking cuts down on phytic acid and removes any bitterness
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion - finely chopped
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 small - medium chilli, finely chopped (optional) - If you can get jalapeno, these are best
- 1 tbsp mexican seasoning from Fairytale food safari - or use 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 large capsicum, diced
- 1.25L vegetable stock - You can also use chicken/beef stock or bone broth
- 700g bottle of passata - or 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups non-GMO corn kernals
- 650g pumpkin or sweet potato (or a mix) - peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 large carrot - diced
- 1 1/2 cups chopped green beans
- Celtic sea salt, to taste
- Large handful of coriander leaves - finely chopped
- Juice of a lime to serve.
Instructions
- If you are using soaked beans, drain and rinse them. The best way to cook them is in a pressure cooker as they will only take about half an hour. If you don't have one, place into a saucepan and cover generously with filtered water. Cook until soft. This could take a couple of hours.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until soft.
- Add the garlic, chilli and Mexican seasoning. Fry for one minute.
- Add the capsicum and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Drain and rinse the quinoa.
- Add the stock, passata (or tomatoes), quinoa, black beans and harder vegetables (pumpkin, corn, sweet potato). Stir, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the green beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add a little sea salt if needed.
- Remove from heat and stir in the coriander. When you dish the soup into bowls, add a squeeze of lime juice before serving.
