Chunky Pinto Bean Soup

5 from 3 votes

This delicious pinto bean soup is loaded with colorful veggies, tempeh and tofu and boldly seasoned with Cajun spices, jalapeno and herbs. It has 31 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber in a single serving.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Cajun spices, chunky, high-protein, pinto bean soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 459kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Dutch oven
Small baking dish

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