Easy Mexican Rice and Bean Soup
I created this soup on a day when it had been too long since I’d been to the grocery store (is it just me, or do any of you also procrastinate grocery shopping??). It seemed like we had no food. The fridge was nearly empty, but I love to see what I can come up with to make it one more day. It’s thrilling to make something out of seemingly nothing.
Just a can of beans, some rice, an onion and garlic, some vegetable broth and some seasonings come together to create a very satisfying soup that is packed with delicious Mexican flavors and full of nutrition. Just look at the nutrition facts below! So many nutrients in so few calories. If you’re trying to manage weight gain, eating a big bowl of soup each day is a great way to feel full without too many calories. You could eat 2 tablespoons of oil or two small cookies (and not feel full) for the same amount of calories in a big bowl of this soup, which will actually fill you up and provide disease-preventing micronutrients. Being a healthy weight is ALL about calorie density, my friends!
Best of all, this yummy soup comes together in just 20 minutes if you already have cooked rice. If you don’t, just start cooking some and it will be about done by the time you’re ready to add the rice at the end. It’s quick enough to make for lunch.
Adding some gourmet toppings (if you have in fact gone to the grocery store) like tortilla chips, avocado, lime wedges and cilantro take this soup to the next level for a fabulous winter meal for Mexican Night.
This soup resembles tortilla soup, but the tortilla chips are optional. Smoky, spicy, and fresh, this soup is perfect for cold weather. It is very quick to make if using leftover cooked rice.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
- 1-2 individual chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (not the whole can!)*
- 2 tsp cumin
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 can beans (black or pinto are best)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- juice of 1/2 lime
- avocado chunks
- tortilla chips
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In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, tomatoes, and chipotle pepper over medium heat until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
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Add cumin and vegetable broth, then rice and beans. Once heated through, add cilantro and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Taste and add salt if needed, may need 1/2 to 1 tsp salt depending on how salty your vegetable broth is.
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Serve with additional cilantro and lime wedges, chopped avocado, or crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
*If you don't like spicy food, simply use one or two teaspoons of the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, and not the whole peppers. It will add a sweet smokiness without too much heat.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are easy to find in the Hispanic aisle of most all grocery stores. Since no recipe uses the whole can, keep them in a container in the fridge, or freeze them individually to pull out and add to recipes as desired.
The soup was yummy! I added a diced red bell pepper, simply because I add them to nearly every dinner I make. I also had a jalapeno that was fading, so I added it, too. I blenderized the diced tomatoes because my crew doesn’t love chunks of tomatoes. The soup was ESPECIALLY good with crushed tortilla chips and avocados.
Yum! Your extra-veggies version sounds so good, and tortilla chips makes it a traditional tortilla soup which is pretty divine! Thanks for the review!
I can relate so much to this post! I love the satisfaction of eeking out one or two more days of meals when it seems like there’s nothing left in the fridge! This soup looks fabulous and has the kind of ingredients I always keep on hand for days like that – rice, beans, canned tomatoes… I will definitely be trying it soon!!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Larice, and taking the time to comment! I hope you enjoy it.
Wow! A real winner. This soup is both delicious and easy. I added some frozen corn. Thanks for the great recipe. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you Marcella!
Very inviting dish, I love red beans and rice, this recipe is delicious just looking at it
Oh my goodness, delish! It was one of those days where dinner just snuck right up on me and I was out of almost everything. I jumped on your website hoping you’d have the answer and you did! The only changes I had to make were that I used fire roasted tomatoes (the only other ones I had were Italian seasoned) and ground chipotle pepper. It was so dang good, although just a touch spicy (I added extra ’cause I love it) for the kids so they got a dollop of sour cream to calm it a bit. Added crushed chips, cause who doesn’t love a little salty crunch, and viola! Magic! Thanks again for an awesome, easy recipe, it’ll be in the rotation for sure.
Haha, I invented this recipe on just such a day when I was out of almost everything. So glad it came to the rescue!
This is a keeper soup recipe for us. I replaced the chipotle peppers with 1 frozen jalapeño and frozen green peppers. My husband doesn’t normally like brown rice in soup but he is good with this if I add more broth and beans. I used kidney beans