Even though winter weather in Arizona is mild, I still enjoy a warm bowl of soup! I posted this Refried Bean Soup recipe back in 2013 and thought it was a good time to make another batch and update the photos. This soup is super quick to make and full of flavor, and the nice thing about it, you probably already have the ingredients on hand in your pantry and fridge.
Originally, I diced up an onion, red bell pepper, a few cloves of garlic and sautéed them in a soup pot. This time around I added some diced carrots and substituted roasted red bell pepper for the fresh red bell pepper. After that, all you do is add some chipotle pepper puree (see note in recipe for how I make chipotle puree), spices, stock, tomatoes and beans. That’s it! Super quick and easy!
Don’t forget to top this Refried Bean Soup with your favorite garnishes (sour cream, sliced scallions, cilantro, cheese) and serve with some quesadillas, cornbread or a simple green salad.
Refried Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1–2 Tbls. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lg. carrot, diced (I used a handful of baby carrots)
- 1/2 C. diced, roasted red bell pepper (from a jar, or use 1 red bell pepper, diced)
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 Tbls. chipotle puree*
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 C. vegetable (or chicken) stock
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 can black or pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
Garnish Suggestions:
Sliced green onions
Chopped cilantro
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Instructions
- In soup pot, saute onions and carrots in olive oil, until soft.
- Add garlic and roasted red bell peppers and sauté a couple more minutes.
- Add chipotle puree and spices and stir to combine.
- Add stock, tomatoes (undrained) and refried beans. Bring to boil while stirring to combine refried beans into the soup.
- Reduce heat, add black or pinto beans and continue to simmer for flavors to meld.
- You can eat right away if you’re in a hurry, or let it simmer 10-15 minutes (good time to make a salad or quesadilla!).
Notes
* For the chipotle puree, I blend a can of chipotles en adobo and then freeze it in tablespoon size portions to cook with. You could just chop up a chipotle pepper from the can with a little of the sauce, or just add chipotle pepper spice. Or even chile powder…this recipe is all about using what you have on hand.
