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This pinto bean soup, or as we call it in Mexico, sopa tarasca, is originally from the state of Michoacan and is a delicious combination of pinto beans, roasted tomatoes, dried chiles, and spices.
It's one of those traditional and comforting Mexican dishes. Today, I'm teaching you how to make it easily and quickly.
Sopa Tarasca Every Day
I have a fun story about this soup. One of my cousins, who lives in California, visited Michoacán with his kids and introduced them to this delicious local favorite.
They love it so much that over the next few days, the kids would order sopa tarasca in every restaurant they went to.
Later in their trip, when they continued their travels to another Mexican State, the kids wanted the daily bowl of their now favorite soup.
As they scanned the menu of the first restaurant in the new State, they became more and more frantic when they couldn't find it. They couldn't believe this soup wasn't available in every restaurant in Mexico!
I hope that gives you an idea of just how delicious it is. Let's make it
If you make your own pinto bean soup, be sure to snap a photo and share it with us on social media using the #mamalatinatips hashtag. I’d love to see it and have a chance to share it as well.
Pinto Bean Soup – Sopa Tarasca
Prep time: 10 minutes – Start to finish – 45 minutes – Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 chile ancho peppers (dry black chiles, see picture), divided
- 4 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon*
- 3 cups water, divided*
- 1/2 cup canola oil, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked pinto beans, unsalted
For Garnish
- Queso fresco, in small cubes
- 8 tortillas cut into thin strips
- 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
- Sour cream to taste
* You can substitute the water and chicken bouillon with 3 cups of chicken stock.
Roast tomatoes, onion and garlic on top of a comal, or pan. You can also roast them in the oven. Turn them as they roast. This will take approximately 15-18 minutes.
With kitchen scissors, cut 1/4 of one of the chiles anchos and place it with the roasting tomatoes. Keep cutting the chiles into thin slices, set aside.
Place roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the roasted piece of chile ancho pepper in a blender. Add the chicken bouillon and one cup of water. Mix well.
In a pot or dutch oven heat up one tablespoon of the oil, strain the tomato sauce into the hot oil. Lower the temperature, cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Next, blend pinto beans with the remaining 2 cups of water and pour into the tomato sauce.
Add bay leaf and black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the temperature to medium high, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Taste for salt.
While soup is cooking, pour the rest of the canola oil in a warm pan over high heat. Carefully add the strips of chile ancho and as soon as they hit the oil, remove them from it. (yes, it's that fast, if you don't remove them quickly they will become bitter).
Next, carefully place 1/3 of the tortilla strips in the hot oil and fry until crunchy, don't take your eyes off them, they can burn really easily. Repeat with the other two-thirds of the tortillas strips. Set aside.
Serve the soup, garnished with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, a piece of the fried chile ancho and sour cream to taste.
¡Buen provecho!
Print the Pinto Bean Soup Recipe
Pinto Bean Soup – Sopa Tarasca
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 chile ancho peppers dry black chiles, see picture, divided
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon*
- 3 cups water* divided
- 1/2 cup canola oil divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked pinto beans unsalted
For Garnish
- 10 oz queso fresco in small cubes
- 8 tortillas cut into thin strips
- 1 avocado cut in small cubes
- Sour cream to taste
Instructions
- * You can substitute the chicken bouillon and water with 3 cups of chicken stock.
- Roast tomatoes, onion and garlic on top of a comal, or pan. You can also roast them in the oven. Turn them as they roast. This will take approximately 15-18 minutes.
- With kitchen scissors, cut 1/4 of one of the chiles anchos and place it with the roasting tomatoes. Keep cutting the chiles in thin slices, set aside.
- Place roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and the roasted piece of chile ancho pepper in a blender. Add chicken bouillon and one cup of water. Mix well.
- In a pot or dutch oven heat up one tablespoon of the oil, strain the tomato sauce into the hot oil. Lower the temperature, cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Next, blend pinto beans with the remaining 2 cups of water and pour into the tomato sauce.
- Add bay leaf and black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the temperature to medium high, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Taste for salt.
- While soup is cooking, pour the rest of the canola oil in a warm pan over high heat. Carefully add the strips of chile ancho and as soon as they hit the oil, remove them from it. (yes, it's that fast, if you don't remove them quickly they will become bitter).
- Next, carefully place 1/3 of the tortilla strips in the hot oil and fry until crunchy, don't take your eyes of them, they can burn really easily. Repeat with the other two thirds of the tortillas strips. Set aside.
- Serve the soup, garnished with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, a piece of the fried chile ancho and sour cream to taste.
Nutrition
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Enjoy!
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