One-Pot Mexican Soup Recipe – Easy, Vegetarian & Tasty
Who needs tortilla soup when you can have this one-pot Mexican soup recipe using leftover brown rice, black beans, and pinto beans? It is so wonderfully satisfying, with hearty beans, tangy tomatoes, and classic Mexican flavors like cumin.
The next time you are craving Mexican food, try out this filling and healthy Mexican soup for lunch or dinner. It’s one of my favorite vegetarian soup recipes, with a similar flavor profile to my black bean and corn soup. If you’d rather eat a broth with a lentil base, a fantastic alternative is my healthy lentil soup recipe with cumin.
Why You’ll Love This Mexican Soup Recipe
This one-pot Mexican soup is inspired by Mexican flavors like corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, beans, jalapeno, and cumin. All of the ingredients are combined with vegetable broth in a soup that is hearty enough to make up an entire meal.
My Mexican soup recipe came about when I was craving Mexican food one afternoon and didn’t have enough time to go to my favorite spot to get it. Pleasantly, I had some leftover brown rice in the fridge, plus some black and pinto beans from a salad the day before.
I added those to a standard soup base of fragrant onions and bright red tomatoes, as well as some cumin, garlic, and fresh lime.
Together, all these ingredients made a robust, delicious and gluten-free vegetarian soup that was so healthy, flavorful, and extremely satisfying.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
This authentic Mexican bean soup recipe includes a mixture of ingredients that are so nutritious and colorful. Here’s what you will need to make it:
- Vegetable broth – low sodium
- Medium white onion
- Beans – such as cooked black beans and pinto beans
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Garlic
- Bell pepper
- Brown rice – cooked
- Jalapenos
- Organic corn – frozen
- Cumin powder
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Step‑by‑Step Instructions
Once you know how to make Mexican soup, it’ll become second nature. The recipe is heartwarming, making it perfect for cooler weather, and there are a couple of ways (stovetop or Instant Pot) to make it.
Here’s how you can prepare this hearty soup at home:
Stovetop Method
Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a large pot. Then, add the onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, brown rice, corn, and tomato sauce. Allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes before you season the soup with the cumin, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Instant Pot Method
For simple Mexican soup recipes, the Instant Pot is a really useful tool. All you have to do is add all of the ingredients to an Instant Pot, close the lid on the pot and turn the valve from the “Venting” to “Sealing” position, then press “Cancel.”
You should set the pot to “Manual/Pressure Cook” (high pressure) and set the timer to 2 minutes. Do a quick release, and once the pressure is released, open the lid and stir well.
Variations and Tips For The Best Results
While this Mexican soup must feature some key ingredients, it is also a wonderful soup that you can play with and make your own.
These are some ideas for how you can modify the soup:
- Add flavorful garnishes: If you would like to make your Mexican soup recipe a little more unique, feel free to top it with an array of attractive garnishes that add both texture and flavor. Cilantro, tortilla chips, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced pickled jalapenos, or salsa are all excellent additions.
- Give it a smokier flavor: If you enjoy the taste of chipotle, add some chopped canned chipotle into the soup as it simmers. You can also add some of the sauce from the can to amplify the chipotle taste even more.
- Add extra vegetables: While this Mexican soup is loaded with plenty of vegetables, you may decide you would like to add more, particularly if you have some ingredients to use up. Kale, Swiss chard, or spinach are all excellent additions to wilt into the soup if you have an abundance from your garden. This soup would also be great with leftover mixed vegetables like carrots, peas, and corn.
- Bean ratios: For the beans, I like using two cups of black beans and one cup of pinto beans. However, you can try different ratios if you’d like to experiment with the recipe. If you don’t have black beans or pinto beans on hand, try garbanzo beans or cannellini beans.
If you like the idea of experimenting with flavors, you might want to check out more of my recipes on Veggiecurean. And if you’re specifically after a soup with a different bunch of flavors, you could start with my yellow lentil soup recipe or my rich broccoli and carrot soup recipe.
Storage & Reheating: How to Store One-Pot Mexican Soup
The recipe makes a large pot of soup, so it’s likely you will have some leftovers after dinner. Alternatively, you may decide you would like to make a large pot of it to keep for lunch through the week.
To store it, you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or place it in the freezer for up to 5 to 6 months.
Serving Suggestions
Like many Mexican soup recipes, this dish is best served immediately. However, if you want to reheat it, I recommend adding it to a pan on medium-low heat until it’s heated all the way through.
Toppings are always a nice addition, both for flavor/texture and nutrition. Sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese and sliced avocado should all make your family feel like they are dining in a fancy restaurant.
Nutritional Information
Despite being incredibly tasty, this Mexican vegetable soup recipe is also very nutritious with around 15g of protein and 12g of fiber per serving.
The recipe also contains potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron, which your body is sure to appreciate.
- Black beans are a great plant-based protein source that’ll help to keep you feeling full and content. They’re also a source of fiber and antioxidants.
- Pinto beans also offer more protein, along with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Tomatoes are low in calories and contain lycopene, which is thought to reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Garlic has long been used for food and medicinal purposes, as it’s thought to help with fighting off viruses.
- Bell pepper is another vegetable that’s low in calories. It has a high vitamin C content, which helps to support your immune system.
- Cumin doesn’t just taste good. It also promotes healthy digestion.
- Brown rice is a more nutritious alternative to white rice, with more vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.
One-Pot Mexican Soup Recipe – Easy, Vegetarian & Tasty
Ingredients
- 6 cups vegetable broth, (low sodium)
- 1 medium white onion, (diced)
- 3 cups beans, (cooked-black beans and pinto beans)
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, (canned)
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 1 bell pepper, (diced)
- 2 cups brown rice, (cooked)
- 2 Jalapeno (1 seeded and 1 diced)
- 1 cup organic corn, (frozen)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 juice of lemon
- Salt and pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- Bring the vegetable broth to simmer in a large pot.
- Add onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, brown rice, corn, and tomato sauce, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. (For beans, I like using 2 cups of black beans and 1 cup of pinto beans.)
- Season with cumin, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Instant Pot Method
- In an Instant Pot, add all of the ingredients.
- Close the lid on the pot and turn the valve from “Venting” to “Sealing” position, then press “Cancel”.
- Set the pot to “Manual/Pressure Cook” (high pressure) and set the timer to 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release and once the pressure is released, open the lid and stir well.
- Serve immediately.
BON APPÉTIT!
Equipment
- Instant Pot, optional
Nutrition
FAQs
Most cultures have some sort of traditional soup that has been passed on from generation to generation. But let’s be honest, many of them can be extraordinarily heavy, calorie-dense, and very unhealthy because they are cream or milk-based with a lot of processed ingredients. For a healthy Mexican soup, this version combines whole ingredients like fiber-rich beans, tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, and brown rice. There is nothing to feel guilty about with this soup as everything is nutrient-rich and fresh.
In this day and age, we are always trying to find ways of cutting calories while enjoying our favorite dishes. If this is you, there are a few ways you can do this. Avoid the cheese and sour cream toppings that are full of fat. Try sliced avocados instead which will add the creaminess you crave.
To get the salty crunch of the traditional fried tortilla chips, try baking corn tortillas in the oven or use store-bought blue corn chips instead.
Typically, Mexican tortilla soup is made with meat, but instead, cut the calories and fat by loading up on the beans like pinto and black beans. Beans are a great source of protein and will give you the satisfying feeling your tummy is craving and you won’t miss the meat at all.
If you feel adventurous, throw in some roasted corn as well for a sweet flavor without worrying about calories. Consider taking the extra step to roast the corn will also add a dynamic smoky flavor your taste buds will appreciate.
While most people are familiar with Mexican tortilla soup, there are actually several different types of Mexican soups. Some of these include sopa de fideo, which is a tomatoey noodle soup, while others are pozole, a stew-like soup with chicken or pork, cabbage, chilis, salsas, and more.
Authentic Mexican soup recipes use vegetables such as onions, garlic, roma tomatoes, carrots and zucchini. For spices, they often include Mexican oregano, bay leaves and fresh cilantro. Chipotle is a common addition. The traditional broth usually uses homemade chicken or beef stock rather than vegetable stock.
You can easily make Mexican soup at home by combining the ingredients in an Instant Pot or using the traditional stovetop method, where the ingredients are gradually added to a pot and simmered together.
You can make a vegetarian Mexican soup by using vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef stock. The meat can be substituted with black and pinto beans.
Most Mexican soup recipes are moderately or mildly spicy. This is because the recipes focus on smoky and savoury spices such as cumin and chipotle. Most of the heat comes from the jalapeno peppers, but additions such as lime or sour cream can help to cool the spice levels.
Toppings that pair well with Mexican soup include sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese and sliced avocado.
Add the soup to a pot over medium-low heat, and reheat, while stirring occasionally until it is heated all the way through.
