Dave and I {and our two international students} all love soup and we all love anything Mexican. So the other night, when I made this Spicy Refried Bean Soup — you can probably imagine it was a big hit.
Everyone had seconds and there was still plenty left over for lunches — and I even put a large container in the freezer!
Besides that fact that this soup tastes amazing, it’s also REALLY easy to make, and extremely inexpensive since the protein comes from beans. Oh, and the ingredients are pantry staples I’m guessing you might already have on hand.
Recipe for Spicy Refried Bean Soup:
Ingredients:
- 2 T. oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced {or 1 t. garlic powder}
- 1 15oz. can corn with liquid
- 1 16 oz. can refried beans
- 1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 c. chicken broth {or water}
- 1 quart stewed or diced tomatoes {I used my canned tomatoes but you could just use a 14oz can from the store}
- 1 c. water {or more if you like your soup more liquidy}
- 1 7 oz. can chopped green chilies
- 1/2 c. salsa
Extras: these ingredients are optional and DO make it a little spicier!
- 1-2 c. chopped green, red, yellow, and/or jalapeno peppers
- 1 t. red pepper flakes
- 1 t. chili power
- 1 T. hot sauce
- You could also substitute the black beans and refried beans for spicy black beans and spicy refried beans
Toppings:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Shredded cheese
- Sour Cream
- Green onions
- Fresh cilantro
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large stock pot and saute onions and garlic until onions are tender
- Add the rest of the the ingredients and simmer on medium until heated through {about 20-30 minutes}
- Add in any extra “spicy” ingredients near the end of your simmering time.
- Serve plain or with optional toppings.
Not only is this soup recipe SO quick and easy; it’s also full of flavor, absolutely delicious, and really inexpensive to make since there’s no meat! Of course you could add in a pound of ground beef or ground turkey, but I feel there is enough protein with the beans that we don’t really NEED the meat… and no one in my family even noticed!
It also freezes wonderfully and the ingredients can easily be adapted to fit your family’s taste buds.
What’s your favorite soup to make this time of year?
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Jane says
I’ve only used my crockpot to make chili, your crockpot mac-n-cheese and of course, squash!!!!
so I don’t have a lot of experience with crockpots. I am going to try this in the crockpot so it will be simmering for lunch and dinner. Have you made this in the crockpot? Any suggestions?
Andrea says
you can definieily make this soup (and pretty much any other type of soup) in a slow cooker. Just keep the heat on low and make sure there’s enough liquid in the slow cooker!
Alisha says
Made this for dinner tonight with homemade chips! Excellent! I added some cumin and a splash of lime juice to brighten up the flavors. Terrific!
Andrea says
glad you liked it!!
Susan Kline says
Just made a very large pot of bean soup using Great Nothern beans which used to be called navy beans. I looked at the Senate’s version and saw that they use garlic cloves. I tried with just 2 and couldn’t really detect garlic flavor. Maybe I’ll try 3 next time. Added onion, celery, carrots and diced potatoes. Also a ham bone and some ham. Added a very large bay leaf and some pepper. If salt is needed, it can be added at the table. I didn’t think it needed any.
Very glad to see that bean soup can be frozen because I have a lot!
Melanie says
Just tried this soup…YUMMY!!! Didn’t add the spice…I will next time…I think it will make it even better. We also added leftover cooked rice…great addition!
Andrea says
Thanks Melanie — glad you liked it! I’ve also tried adding some cooked ground beef or shredded chicken to add some meat — amazing and SO easy!
Kim says
My husband just asked me to make this soup again. I am so happy as I love it! Thank you again for sharing a great recipe and a lovely blog.
Paulette says
This looks yummy! It’s getting cold and soup sounds so good right now. I love most any Mexican food….
Ann says
This is almost identical to a recipe I make called Skinny Minny Tortilla Soup. For those meat lovers out there, my recipe adds a can of chicken (liquid and all) to the ingredients. My recipe also says to crush chips into a bowl and to ladle the soup of top. Crush more on top if you like to crunch.
Ann says
*soup on top not soup of top. Oops!
Kim says
Hi, I love your blog. You are an inspiration. I made your soup tonight and thought that you would get a chuckle out of my husbands reaction. When I called him in to dinner he took one look at it and said that he would rather eat something else, so I told him to suit himself and I sat down to eat, then he decided to try a small bowl. After eating two full bowls he declared that not only did he love the soup he wanted the recipe to make for the guys at his firehouse! Thanks for posting this recipe. It will be put into rotation at our house for sure!
Andrea says
haha — yes, I suppose it’s not the most glamorous looking meal, but it sure does taste great!
glad to hear you BOTH liked this recipe… it’s a “keeper” for our family too 🙂
Thrifty Mom in Boise says
Yum! I’ll have to try this. Sounds easy and delicious.
I have a black bean soup I make with sausage, black beans, canned italitan style diced tomatoes, basil & spinach. You can put a dollop of sour cream on top too. Super easy and goes great with cornbread or frenchbread.
Mag says
Sounds delish to me. How many servings does it make?
Andrea says
oh wow — I haven’t made that recipe in a LONG time! I think it serves 6-8 — depending on how much broth/water you add and what extras you serve with it.