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Warm, creamy, and hearty Sopa Tarasca is a homemade Mexican pinto bean soup that is filled with rich ingredients like robust tomatoes, fragrant onions, and warm spices such as chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Top this tasty soup with cream, fresh cilantro, tortilla strips, and more!
This Mexican-style pinto bean soup recipe is truly the best and such a joy to eat! Make this soup chunky or smooth based on how you prefer the texture of the soup.
Sopa Tarasca is rich in protein and a great option for lunch or dinner whenever you want something warm and comforting. I’m sure it will become one of your go-to Soup Recipes.
For extra crunch, serve this soup with chips, tostadas, or fried tortilla strips, or fried tortilla strips, or if you prefer serve corn tortillas on the side. You will thank me later!
We always prepare a fresh Mexican shrimp cocktail to enjoy alongside or before the soup for a well-balanced meal filled with bold flavors!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make Vegetarian. With just one simple swap (chicken broth to vegetable broth) in the main soup, this ready is really easy to accommodate different people!
- Full of Fresh Flavors. Fresh garlic and onion are blended well with the tomatoes and fresh toppings like avocado, citrus, etc.
- Great for Meal Prep and Freezing. Meal prep is super easy with this recipe! Prepare a large batch on your favorite prep day and warm the leftovers up to enjoy throughout the week for simple lunches or dinners. The longer the soup sits, the tastier it gets!
- Wholesome. Pinto beans are full of fiber and great for whenever you need a filling meal.
Why This Recipe Works
- This Sopa Tarasca, or Tarascan Soup as it is sometimes called, is quick and easy so you don't have to worry about a super long elaborate recipe.
- The flavors are simple but rich in flavor to shine through the soup.
- Great for holidays and special occasions.
- Pinto bean soup is a great way to satisfy the craving for Mexican food.
What You'll Need
Equipment
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Ingredients
Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don't have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.
- Oil. Any kind of cooking oil will work, like vegetable oil or avocado oil, but I like to use olive oil.
- Onion. Either a yellow or white diced onion will be great for this soup!
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is recommended for the best flavors! I used 3 garlic cloves. You can use jarred garlic or garlic powder, but the recipe may not taste the same!
- Ancho Chili Powder. Rich ancho chili powder is preferred for optimal flavors, but you can use regular chili powder if needed. This is a shortcut so you save time and don’t have to soak pasilla chiles.
- Cumin. Ground cumin is smoky and aromatic and gives this soup depth.
- Oregano. Mexican oregano is a great addition to this soup and provides fresh fragrant notes.
- Salt. Season this soup to your preferred taste with your favorite sea salt!
- Canned Tomatoes. Whole tomatoes are recommended because they allow the soup to be chunky if needed.
- Pinto Beans. You can prepare your own dried pinto beans or use canned beans. Both options are great!
- Chicken Broth. Homemade or store bought chicken broth is used but any kind of broth will be fine.
Optional Toppings
- Mexican Style Cream. Mexican crema is usually prepared with fresh lime juice and it has a little more flavor than regular cream. Make your own or find it at the store in the refrigerated section! If you don’t have this, you could also use sour cream.
- Queso Fresco. Queso Blanco or fresco is a Mexican white cheese that is commonly used for dips, tacos, beans, and more. You can find this at most well-stocked grocery stores or international markets.
- Tortilla Strips or Chips. Crunchy tortilla strips or chips are great for topping or dipping into the soup.
- Ancho Chili Powder. Additional ancho chili powder gives the soup even more flavor and zest!
- Avocado. Sliced avocado is a great way to add extra texture and fresh ingredients to the soup. The color looks nice, too!
- Cilantro. Fresh cilantro is the perfect herb for this soup and gives this soup so much brightness.
- Green Onion. Use chopped green onions if you prefer.
How to Make This Sopa Tarasca Recipe
- First, heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat and add the diced onion. Cook the onion for three minutes until it is translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute being careful not to burn it.
- Add the spices, oregano, and salt and cook for another minute until everything is well mixed.
- Next, place the canned tomatoes, pinto beans, and a cup of broth into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Alternatively, you can mash the ingredients with a potato masher. Blend the soup for a longer amount of time if you would like it to be creamy or leave it chunky if you'd prefer.
- Pour the blended bean and tomato mixture, or bean puree, into the saucepan and rinse the blender with chicken broth and add the remaining liquid to the pan.
- Simmer the soup for 30 minutes or until fully warm and aromatic. You can also cook the soup slower by cooking at a lower temperature.
- Finally, garnish the soup with cream, cheese, cilantro, chili powder, or tortilla strips.
Variations on Pinto Bean Soup
- Beans. Instead of pinto beans, switch things up with black beans or garbanzo beans.
- Vegetarian Soup. For a vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
- Vegan. To make a vegan sopa tarasca, use vegetable broth and omit the dairy.
- Thinner Soup. For a thinner soup, add more chicken broth and blend until smooth.
- Spicy. To make this soup spicy, add canned tomatoes with green chiles or top with pickled or fresh jalapeños.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Although this soup is a bean soup that is thick and full, it has a lot of tomato and chili flavors to accompany it.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for five days. Freeze the soup in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for three minutes.
- When ready to reheat the soup, reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave. If reheating the soup from a frozen state, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
What to Serve with This Recipe
This soup is delicious served with salad, sandwiches, crackers, veggies, and more! You can even serve this soup before your main proteins like chicken, beef, sausage, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where Did Sopa Tarasca Come From?
Sopa Tarasca originated from the state of Michoacán in Mexico.
What do I do with Leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Sopa Tarasca?
Place the food in a freezer-safe airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Recipe
Ingredients
For Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (28-ounce can) whole tomatoes
- 2 (14-ounce cans) pinto beans with liquid
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I recommend low sodium broth)
For Garnishes:
- 1/2 cup Mexican style cream
- 1/2 cup queso fresco
- Tortilla strips or chips
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 avocado sliced
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan and add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook for another minute.
- Place the canned tomatoes, pinto beans and a cup of broth in a blender and pulse. If you like it chunky, just pulse once or twice. If you prefer it smooth, blend for a minute.
- Pour the beans into the pan and rinse the blender with the remaining chicken broth and add to the soup.
- Simmer soup for 30 minutes.
- Garnish soup with cream, queso fresco, tortilla strips, a sprinkle of chili powder, sliced avocado and chopped cilantro.
Angela says
Delicious! This hearty and filling soup is so easy to make. My family is already asking me to make it again!
Heather Perine says
I love pinto beans! Never though to make into a soup..and a creamy one too..sounds so good! Pinned to make later this week 🙂
Anjali says
This soup was spicy, hearty and so simple to make! It was the perfect appetizer for our family dinner last night!
Irina says
We are in love with beans, so that this soup recipe will become our new favorite. Well, I made it for our lunch today: it’s tasty.
Dana Sandonato says
The flavors in this are amazing and warming and oh-so-cozy! Already planning on making this again.