Southwestern Tomato & Pinto Bean Soup ~ 3.31.11

[ in a perfect world this soup would be flipped counterclockwise to appear normal. but blogger doesn't like me and I want you to see the soup all pretty in the bowl. so just tilt your head for me, to the right. there.. doesn't that look delish?]

I'm pretty sure many of you know by now my love for all things tomato, especially tomato soup (see here and here)!

I've had this in my 'to try' file for far too long so it was time to give it a go. This year, during Lent, I'm working hard on planning my menu for the week and using recipes that are simple and as many meat free choices as I can. It's been a great experiment and I'm writing down what we're having on a calendar I received for free from half price books! I love sitting down and thinking through what we'll have for the week and looking back to see what we've already eaten!

So this recipe that I clipped 6 yrs ago from Eating Well magazine was right up my Lenten alley. It has just the right amt of kick in it if you used the fire roasted canned tomatoes. And I just loved the addition of the crispy tortillas that took just a few extra minutes of my time, but were well worth it in the end.

If you're looking for a little bit of a twist on traditional tomato soup and you love the flavors of the southwest, please do yourself a favor and make a batch of this very soon!

Southwestern Tomato and Pinto Bean Soup

ingredients:
2 corn tortillas
1 can diced green chiles or 1 poblano chile
1- 15 1/2 oz can pinto beans, rinsed
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced fine
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 14 1/2 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained!
1/2 tsp cumin
couple shakes red cap Goya Adobo seasoning (optional)
1/3  cup reduced fat sour cream, garnish
1 Tbs coarsely chopped cilantro- I think this made the soup stellar
1 lime, wedged, for garnish

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 425. stack tortillas and cut into strips, then in half again. you want smallish strips. scatter on baking pan or stone and toast about 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile, if using a fresh poblano ( I did not), roast it over a gas burner, turning often with tongs, until the skin is blackened, about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam 5 min. to loosen skin. Scrape off skin, core and remove seeds and inner membranes and cut into 1/2 inch dice.
3. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork. Set mashed and whole beans aside.(Alternatively- you could save 1/2 a can of beans out of the soup and puree the whole pot with a stick blender or regular blender, then pour the soup back in the pot, add the whole beans and heat- I say this again, below)
4. Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, add onion and cook, until softened, 3-4 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 sec. Add broth, tomatoes, cumin, green chiles, beans (all), bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, 10 min. (I believe I left out the whole beans initially and pureed the soup a bit before adding in the pintos- I like my soup a little creamier and chunky, so go for what you like)
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips and lime wedge. Enjoy!

{original recipe called for more beans and more broth, I cut it in about half and still had plenty of beans and soup!)