Every mouthful of this chunky pinto bean soup is loaded with flavor, texture and yum from tofu, tempeh, pinto beans and a rainbow of colorful vegetables. Jalapeno and Cajun spice mix add fire and sage and oregano stir in smokiness. It's a wholesome, one-bowl meal and it makes four hearty servings.
Table of Contents
Healthy pinto bean soup
Pinto beans have a nutty, creamy, well-rounded and irresistible flavor, and they bring all of that deliciousness to this hearty pinto bean soup. But that's not all that you get: you also get velvety, flavorful cubes of tofu that have soaked up the aromatic broth. You get chewy little nuggets of tempeh baked with herbs and garlic. And you get oodles of tender, yummy veggies: carrots, bell peppers, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms.
This soup is a stellar example of how to effortlessly include protein in your vegan meals: there are 31 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber in a single serving, which makes it perfect for high protein eaters. I like to slurp up this soup on its own but if you want even more protein and fiber you can stir a few tablespoons of cooked brown rice or quinoa into it before serving.
This the kind of soup I love eating during fall and winter. It is filling, cozy, nourishing and it makes me feel good from the inside out. Best of all you can make it with pantry ingredients and you can tweak to what you have on hand. For instance, if you don't have some of the veggies, substitute them with others (more on that in the FAQs below). If you have fresh herbs on hand, use those instead of the dried herbs. You can also skip the tofu or tempeh and double the pinto beans, which are very nutrient-dense and healthy. Use a good, homemade mushroom stock or vegetable broth in this recipe because it adds loads of umami.
You can make this pinto bean soup with canned pinto beans, or, if you are like me, you might want to cook them yourself. It is really important to season the soup generously and at every stage with herbs, salt and ground black pepper. One mistake I've frequently seen cooks make is to under season recipes. As herbs and spices cook, their flavor gets milder. I'd advise using the recommended quantity of herbs and spices the first time you make this soup and then tweaking the quantity down the next time if it's too much for you.
Recipe card
Chunky Pinto Bean Soup
Ingredients
For baked tempeh
- 8 oz tempeh
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For tofu
- 14 oz extra firm tofu (water pressed out, cut into four slabs)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Other ingredients
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (finely chopped)
- 3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 large bell pepper (any color, finely chopped)
- 6 large cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (minced)
- ¼ cup red wine (optional)
- 28 oz cooked or canned pinto beans (from two 14-oz cans or cooked from 1 cup dried pinto beans. Strain out all liquid.)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4-5 cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or water)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 heaping tbsp Cajun seasoning
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 6 scallions (spring onions, finely chopped)
Instructions
Make the baked tempeh
- Crumble the tempeh into little bits and place in a small baking dish. Sprinkled the sage, oregano, salt, ground black pepper and oil over the tempeh. Use your fingers to rub the seasonings into the tempeh. Bake the tempeh in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/180 degree oven for 20 minutes (I use my toaster oven for this)
Prep and brown the tofu
- Place the flour in a bowl and add to it the sage, oregano, ground black pepper and salt. Mix. Dredge the four slabs of tofu in the flour mixture. You will have a lot of flour remaining, just set it aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add the tofu slabs to the pot.
- Cook tofu on all sides until lightly brown. Remove the tofu to a plate and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut it into ½-inch cubes. Set aside.
Make the pinto bean soup
- To the same pot, add the onions, carrots, celery and bell peppers. Season with salt and ground black pepper and saute over medium heat for five minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and jalapeno and saute for a minute.
- Stir in the bay leaves, sage and oregano.
- Add the remaining flour to the pot and stir until mixed in.
- If using the red wine, add it now and cook until it has evaporated, leaving just the wonderful flavor behind. Stir in the pinto beans, tempeh, tofu and mushrooms. Add three cups of stock or broth or water. Mix well and add more liquid if you want the soup to be soupier.
- Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer 10 minutes over medium-low heat for the flavors to merge. Stir in the soy sauce, followed by the Cajun spice mix.
- Mix well, and turn off the stove once the soup comes back to a boil. Stir in the spring onions.
- Serve the soup hot or warm.
Nutrition Information
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Pinto bean soup FAQs
The flour, which is seasoned, adds flavor and a nice crust to the tofu, and it helps thicken the soup. To make this dish gluten-free, use rice flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of all purpose flour.
Yes, you can make this soup with just beans and skip the tofu and tempeh. Use a soy-free soy sauce or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Use black beans, white beans or kidney beans instead of pinto beans.
You can substitute some of the vegetables I used with potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cauliflower and winter squash.
Serve the soup with crusty bread, vegan cornbread or with rice or quinoa.
This bean has a jalapeno pepper and some spice from the Cajun seasoning (so delicious in vegan gumbo). But you can amp up the heat with smoked paprika, cayenne or hot sauce like tabasco or Sriracha sauce. You can also just add more jalapeno peppers to the soup for fresh, spicy flavor.
Gail Anderson Edwards says
I made the recipe as written, with the exception of halving the flour to half besan and half white flour. I didn't taste the besan at all. The soup was good the first night and improved exponentially with time, as the flavors melded into a fabulously rich gravy. When I reheated I stirred in organic fresh spinach to the hot soup which complemented it beautifully. I will definitely be making this again. It is a full, and totally nutritious meal.
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear you loved the soup, Gail! I love that you added besan and spinach, what a great idea.
Bloodthirsty Vegan says
This! 100%. Everything I need. 55 years ago I went vegetarian, then went full vegan in '95. I didn't have the nutritional knowledge that we can readily access today and likely didn't get the protein and aminos I should have. Although my BP and other levels are enviable, I feel weak beyond just normal old age (but what do I know, I've never been 67 before). This is delicious and I feel stronger after I eat it. I'll be making it several times a month. Thank you.
Vaishali Honawar says
What a wonderful vegan journey! I agree we are lucky to live in times when there is so much information - and options - for vegans and I am glad you feel empowered. So happy you loved the soup.
gp anderson says
I was wondering if I could use besan rather than flour to dredge the tofu and thicken the soup?
Vaishali Honawar says
Yes, besan will work but you will likely get some of the chickpea flavor in the soup.