Pinto Bean Soup - Sopa Tarasca

This delightful, classic, Mexican pinto bean soup, Sopa Tarasca, satisfies with its silky texture. Served with queso fresco, cream, tortilla strips & chile ancho.

📝 Ingredients

• 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)
• 10 oz queso fresco (in small cubes)
• 8 tortillas cut into thin strips
• 1 avocado (cut in small cubes)
• Sour cream to taste

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1* You can substitute the chicken bouillon and water with 3 cups of chicken stock.
2. 2Roast 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.
3. 3With 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.
4. 4Place 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.
5. 5In 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.
6. 6Next, blend pinto beans with the remaining 2 cups of water and pour into the tomato sauce.
7. 7Add bay leaf and black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the temperature to medium high, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Taste for salt.
8. 8While 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).
9. 9Next, 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.
10. 10Serve the soup, garnished with cheese, tortilla strips, avocado, a piece of the fried chile ancho and sour cream to taste.