Mexican Bean Soup

I’ve been craving soups lately, I just can’t get enough of them. I’ve eaten soup every day for the last week! I’m also trying to make some lighter and healthier choices. So, today I made a simple, healthy Mexican Bean Soup based on a recipe I saw in a weight watchers magazine. The original recipe had beef in it, but I didn’t have any beef so it was just beans. It also used a packet of taco seasoning, but I didn’t have of that either, so I made my own!

Mexican Bean Soup
1  brown onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp hot cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground chillies
1/4 tsp salt
2 x 400g can diced tomatoes
750g can red kidney beans
1 litre chicken stock
olive oil spray
1. In a large saucepan fry the garlic and onion in the olive oil spray until just cooked. Add the spices and stir for 1 min.
2. Add the stock, tomatoes and kidney beans. Stir to combine. Leave to simmer for as long as you like. The longer the better (I left mine for about an hour).
3. Whizz up the soup with your chosen weapon. I used my stick blender and blended all the soup. If you like your soup chunky then remove some soup before blending, then add it back afterwards.
 
This was just spicy enough to give it kick, but not to linger too long afterwards. I had it with a couple of slices of wholemeal toast and low fat marg – delish!
What’s your favourite soup?