• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mexican Please

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Most Popular
    • Most Recent
    • Salsas
    • Appetizers/Sides
    • Beans
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Enchiladas
    • Main Dish
    • Mexican Cooking 101
    • Tacos
    • Soup
    • Tortillas
    • Vegetarian
  • Articles
  • Cooking Course
  • About Me
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Course
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • Recipes
    • Course
    • Contact
    • About Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Most Recent

    Pinto Bean Soup -- Sopa Tarasca

    January 24, 2017 By Patrick 51 Comments

    1661 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Pinto Bean Soup (Sopa Tarasca) has a reward-to-effort ratio that's off the charts.  By keeping just a few key ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of turning this popular soup into a whoa-what-is-this meal.

    Quick summary of instructions:

    Put bowl of Sopa Tarasca on kitchen table along with spoon, lime wedges, and a quesadilla bursting with cheese.

    Sit hungry partner down in front of Sopa Tarasca.

    Forever benefit.

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Pinto Bean Soup Recipe and Instructions

    Not pictured in the above photo is the whisper of heat added from a chipotle in adobo.  No need to add too much spice to this dish as it seems to work best when the chipotle is quietly announcing its presence.   As in....it ain't sitting next to you at the table jabbering away, it's calling to you from upstairs, through a door, and you can barely hear it.

    But first things first, get those tomatoes roasting in the oven at 400F.  In 15-20 minutes they'll look like this:

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Add them to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, and a small chipotle with the seeds scraped out (or half of a larger chipotle).

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Combine well and saute this tomato mixture in a dollop of oil over medium heat.

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    As this reduces down for a few minutes, combine 2 cups of cooked pinto beans with 2 cups of stock in a blender.  

    You're working with a 1:1 bean-to-stock ratio, so try to get your hands on some stock that you trust.  I'm using 2 cups of this homemade chicken stock along with some Frijoles de Olla.  If you're using canned beans be sure to drain and rinse them before using.

    Add the bean puree from the blender to the tomato mixture and stir well.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano.  The Mexican oregano seems to work really well in this dish, but it won't make or break it if you don't have any around.

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes and take a final taste for salt.  I added another generous pinch to this batch.

    You've got lots of options for garnish, but at the very least consider adding a dash of acidity in the form of hot sauce or lime juice.  Both work really well in this hearty soup.

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    And of course, you can't go wrong by adding some Crema, finely diced cilantro stems, and another crack of black pepper.

    So good!

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Okay, Sopa Tarasca is on the table, partner is sitting down...

    Now it's time to forever benefit.

    Buen Provecho.

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Pinto Bean Soup -- Sopa Tarasca

    Sopa Tarasca is one of Mexico's most popular soups -- a delightfully satiating pinto bean soup that will keep you coming back for more. So good!
    4.84 from 24 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 193kcal
    Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

    Ingredients

    • 3 plum tomatoes
    • 1/2 onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 small chipotle in adobo
    • 2 cups pinto beans
    • 2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
    • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (plus more to taste)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
    • freshly cracked black pepper
    • Crema (or heavy cream, or sour cream)
    • finely diced cilantro stems (optional)
    • lime juice (or hot sauce)

    Instructions

    • Roast 3 plum tomatoes in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes
    • Add the roasted tomatoes to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 small chipotle in adobo with the seeds scraped out. Combine well.
    • Saute tomato mixture in a dollop of oil over medium heat for a few minutes.
    • Meanwhile, in a blender add 2 cups of pinto beans along with 2 cups of stock and combine well.  (When using canned beans I usually drain and rinse them first.)
    • Add bean puree to the tomato mixture along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano.  Combine well and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. 
    • Take a final taste for seasoning.  (I added another pinch of salt to this batch.)
    • Serve immediately and garnish with your choice of Crema, lime juice, hot sauce, finely diced cilantro stems, and freshly cracked black pepper.

    Notes

    This soup isn't meant to be spicy, the chipotle just adds a hint of heat in the background.
    Since the bean-to-stock ratio is 1:1, try to use some stock that you trust.
    Don't forget a dash of acidity as a final garnish, it works wonders!
    You can use home cooked Frijoles de Olla for the beans but I've also used canned beans plenty of times in the past with good results. 
    Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

    Still hungry?  You might also like this Corn and Poblano Soup.

    This Corn and Poblano Soup has a perfect balance between the corn and the roasted poblanos. A drizzle of cream and a final dash of acidity turn it into a keeper! mexicanplease.com

    And these easy Burrito Bowls.

    These Easy Burrito Bowls have a secret weapon that can instantly save your day: creamy avocado sauce with some zip from a jalapeno. So good! mexicanplease.com

    Still hungry?!

    Want to receive Mexican Please recipes via email when they are posted?  Sign up below to subscribe.  All recipes are spam free.

    And don't worry, we hate spam too!  You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Thank You For Subscribing!

    « Corn and Poblano Soup
    Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary

      March 22, 2024 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was very easy to follow. I ended up broiling the tomatoes after 20 min. of roasting, just to get a little char on them. I also left a few of the beans whole, just because I used to order Sopa Tarasca from our favorite Mexican restaurant and it had whole beans. Otherwise, this soup is yummy - garnished with chopped cilantro, avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime and some grated queso from a little Tiendita near us. So glad I have found an easy recipe to re-create one of my all- time favorite soups!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        March 29, 2024 at 1:13 pm

        Thanks Mary! Cheers.

        Reply
    2. Cheryl

      October 25, 2023 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      I used beans I had made in iPot a week b4. Used just the bean juice with some better than bouillon. Lite on the chipotle for guest. Perfect with some skillet cornbread.

      Reply
      • Patrick

        October 27, 2023 at 6:13 pm

        Ooh sounds like a delicious combo 🙂 Cheers.

        Reply
    3. Mary

      February 15, 2023 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      Made this delicious soup today. I microwaved tomatoes to avoid heat in kitchen. Outstanding flavor esp. with Mexican crema.

      Reply
      • Patrick

        February 16, 2023 at 2:00 pm

        Hey thanks for your note Mary...been a couple months since I've made this and now craving it 🙂 Cheers.

        Reply
    4. Kathy A

      December 16, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      This soup bean recipe had my heart when you said chipotle in adobo and pinto beans together. I discovered chipotle in adobo sauce several years back, and find an excuse to add them to almost everything! Didn't think about scraping out the seeds. You mention about them being hard? Being from the south, we add smoked ham hock, whole yellow onion studded with cloves, a head of garlic with top sliced off, and plenty of salt and black pepper. With plenty of soup bean broth. We, also, make drop dumplings that float on top, melt in the pot, and in your mouth. Ladle into a huge bowl with a couple pats of butter, and finish with fresh diced sweet onion, and tabasco peppers in vinegar. Heaven in a bowl! But the chipotle in adobo is a must, along with cilantro plus stems, and a touch of Crema. Best of two worlds collide!!!! Thank you for sharing another way to enjoy my favorite bean, the humble pinto.

      Reply
      • Patrick

        December 17, 2021 at 5:21 pm

        Thanks much for your note Kathy, that sounds delicious! Cheers.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

    Footer

    Mexican Recipes

    Cooking Course

    Mexican Cooking 101

    Ingredients

    Salsas

    Starting a Food Blog

    Enchilada Recipes

    About Me

    Contact

    Disclaimer

    © 2025 Mexican Please
 - Privacy Policy