Mexican Three-Bean Tortilla Soup

This is a real family favourite, and is packed full of goodness. It's one of the easiest ways to get some of your daily dozen, as it includes beans, fresh herbs, spices and vegetables.

its super-simple to whip together, and the soup itself is made from ingredients most of us will find in our kitchen cupboards. If you keep ready-diced frozen onions in the freezer, as I do, you won't even need to find a fresh one.

I've added a whole dried chipotle chilli here, but if you don't have one, dried chilli flakes will also work – otherwise, simply add an extra pinch of cayenne pepper.

Beans are packed with fibre, folate and phytates, which can help reduce the risk of stroke, depression and colon cancer. They're loaded with protein, iron and zinc, as you might expect from protein sources like meat, but legumes also contain concentrated nutrients, including potassium. Find out more @nutrition_facts.

SERVES:
4

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the soup

2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, or 1 small jarred roasted red pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 dried chipotle chilli
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin black beans
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans or chickpeas
1 x 400g tin kidney beans
1 x 340g tin sweetcorn, or 2 x 150g tins
1 tbsp ketchup
750ml veg stock

To serve

2 tbsp light oil
4 soft tortillas, sliced into strips
2 avocados, diced or sliced
Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1-2 red or green chillies, sliced
2 limes, cut into wedges
A few radishes, thinly sliced
Vegan sour cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large casserole pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, carrot and celery, and fry gently, stirring often, until soft.
Add the garlic, and cook for 2 more mins, then add the tomato paste, paprika, chilli, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Continue to cook for another couple of mins, until fragrant.
Add the rest of the soup ingredients, and grind in some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and let it bubble away for 30 mins, until slightly reduced and thickened.
While the soup is cooking, add the oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your sliced tortillas and fry until golden and crispy – you might want to do this in batches. Drain on kitchen towel and set aside.
When you're ready to serve, season the soup to taste, then divide between four bowls. Top with the avocado, coriander, sliced chillies, lime wedges, radishes and tortillas, adding a swirl of vegan cream, if you like.