Recipe: Sopa Salsa Sabrosa
Hearty Bean Soup with Rice and Vegetables for Cold Weather Days
An easy recipe that can be put together quickly after a day of outdoor winter fun.
This is the perfect bean soup for the mid-winter blues because it uses preserved vegetables: dried, canned or frozen. Perfect for mid-winter when truly fresh ingredients are difficult to get. It can easily be made as a vegetarian chili with the substitution of vegetable broth: see the comments following the recipe to make the substitutions for ingredients on hand in the pantry.
Sopa Salsa Sabrosa or Hearty Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 16 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 16 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 1 16 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon basil
- 1 8 oz can sweet corn, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Directions:
- In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
- Add water, tomatoes, broth, salsa, and rice.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in beans, pepper and thyme, oregano and basil.
- Cover and simmer 15 minutes more.
- Stir in corn and cilantro.
- Simmer 2 minutes and serve. Makes 11 cups.
This is a great recipe to tweak. Leftover beans and already-cooked rice can be used instead of canned beans and raw rice. Add the cooked rice with the corn and check the seasonings.
A Word on Beans
If using leftover beans that were cooked without salt, add salt. Any combination of beans will work. If using dried beans instead of canned, try cooking all of the beans together in a slow cooker. Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of each kind of bean, add 6 cups of water and cook on high for 4 hours. Add 3 teaspoons salt for the last 15 minutes. Drain for use in the soup.
Concerning Tomatoes, Peppers and Corn
Frozen or canned tomatoes work well in this recipe. Thaw frozen tomatoes and reserve juice to add to soup. The flavor of “fresh” tomatoes from the grocery store in the winter (or lack thereof) makes using frozen tomatoes from last summer’s garden a better idea. Frozen corn can be substituted for canned. Likewise, if there are frozen chopped green peppers lurking in the freezer, toss a hand full into the soup instead of chopping up fresh ones from the store.
About Broth
Broth is used for both liquid and flavor. Frozen works just as well as canned, as does powdered broth mixed with the appropriate amount of boiling water. For a vegetarian chili, use vegetable broth.
Serve this bean soup with either of these corn bread variations or crackers or tortilla chips.
