This definitely is not along the lines of “traditional” tortilla soup BUT it’s super healthy, filling, and a great balanced lunch option to keep you fueled for the rest of the day! (Nutrition information can be found at the bottom)

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 2 cups homemade (find my recipe here) or canned refried beans
• 3 cups homemade black beans (find my recipe here)
• 1 jar mild salsa
• 4 cups water
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 3 cups cooked white rice

Prepare:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat
2. Saute onion, carrots, bell peppers, and celery until soft
3. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes
4. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and Mexican oregano, and stir with vegetables until well mixed
5. Add salsa, water, vegetable stock, and both refried and black beans
6. After the refried beans have “melted” (sorry ya’ll couldn’t think of a better word), add in the cooked white rice and drained sweet corn
7. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer, and it’s ready to eat!

Pro Tips:

• My favorite toppings for this is half an avocado, and a sprinkle of Daiya Chedder Style Shreds (vegan cheese)! But don’t forget to add 160 calories for that, bringing the total to 733 calories!
• Prep all your veg before you do anything else, it will make the process go much more quickly.
• Add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup water when reheating, the starches from the beans, rice, and corn can sometimes thicken the soup as it sits.
• This is a great soup to freeze, just put it in glass jars, put it in the freezer and then it can be defrosted on the counter or in the refrigerator. Remember, 1 pint jar is 2 servings.
• 1 serving is about a cup, and at first it doesn’t look like a lot but this soup is so filling that I encourage to eat the serving size, and then assess afterwards if you feel like going in for seconds!