Mexican Soup Recipe
This Mexican soup is vegetarian and delicious. I make it in the Instant Pot, which I love! The best thing about the Instant Pot is its versatility. When the kids were home for summer vacation, I had time to make this dish in the morning and then set the timer for it to cook just in time for their lunch. During the school year, I love to complete the Saute part the evening before and either use the slow cook version or set the timer to cook the dish just in time for it to be ready by 6am. If you are like me, you will love waking up to the flavorful aromas in the morning!
Ingredients: Use organic ingredients as much as possible.
- 1 cup black beans or pinto beans or even kidney beans. (I used kidney beans as I did not have the others). Soak the beans overnight, then discard water and rinse them before using. You can use one 14 oz can black beans as well.
- 32 oz vegetable or chicken broth (use vegetable broth to keep this dish vegetarian)
- 2 to 3 medium sized tomatoes chopped into 4 to 8 quarters– I used heirloom variety as that is my favorite type of tomato ?.
- 1 green bell pepper – cubed
- 1-2 celery stalk – chopped
- ½ cup organic corn (optional)
- 1 medium red onion sliced lengthwise
- Garlic – 3 to 5 cloves – minced
- 2 – 3 tsp Taco seasoning (I used 3 tsp for the above quantities). Adjust according to your taste.
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or fresh leaves; I used fresh herbs for this dish)
- 1 tsp cumin powder (preferably roasted cumin powder)
- ½ to 1 tsp red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil
For Garnish:
- Chopped cilantro leaves – 1 bunch
- Chopped spring onions (I used the white part of the onion in the dish and reserved the green stems for garnish)
- ‘Sliced avocados for that extra creamy deliciousness.
Directions:
Start Instant Pot on Saute mode. Heat 1 tbsp of Olive oil. Then saute the garlic and add the sliced onions. Now, add all the spices (cumin, salt, chili powder, oregano) and saute for a couple more minutes to allow the flavors to mix.
Next, add the vegetables and saute them. Then add soaked black beans and corn, and saute them for a couple more minutes. Stir to mix well. Then add the vegetable broth, mix well, taste and add salt or chili powder if needed.
Turn off Saute mode. Then I used the Bean/Chili mode to pressure cook. Wait for pressure to release naturally (or NPR in Instant Pot language ?).
(Modifications: You can add ½ cup of wild rice to give additional texture and make it an even more wholesome meal).
Serve in soup bowls. Garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped spring onions, sliced avocados and enjoy!