Smoky Refried Bean soup a la FFVK a la Rob

Many thanks to Rob for his contribution of such a nutritious recipe and accompanying photo. I have tried several of the recipes on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen myself and have found them to be hit or miss, so it's great to have it on good authority that this one is great!


I stole this "Smoky Refried Bean Soup" from fat free vegan kitchen, with a couple of little touches of my own. It's a delicious, and I mean delicious, chili-like soup, great for rainy days, and keeps well in the fridge if you make too much. I haven't made it for a little while but here goes.

Ingredients necessary:

1 large onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
15 ounces fatfree refried beans
15 ounces black beans, cooked
1 cup frozen corn kernels (obvs could be fresh)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 - 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

First, put a little oil of your choice in a large saucepan, and sauteé the onions until they are golden brown. Add the garlic and bell peppers, and cook for about a minute to let the flavors blend. Add, then, the other ingredients. If you want to halve the recipe, it works perfectly for two large bowls of soup (it's a great date meal because it is delicious enough to be impressive, but only takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish, especially if you do the chopping and mincing beforehand. ) Otherwise it makes 4 large bowls of soup. Cook all of the ingredients for 20 to 30 minutes. The beans and corn kill the chili powder pretty well, so don't worry too much about going overboard with it unless you are very averse to spiciness. I haven't tried it with Mexican Oregano but it allegedly makes it even tastier, which i find hard to believe.

Another addition that I like to make is tortilla strips. They're easy to make and a good way to use the time while the soup is cooking. I take Mission Corn Tortillas (I'm like 99% sure they have no trans fat/hydrogenated oils but I don't have a pack in front of me to confirm it, otherwise substitute for your favorite brand/ home made corn tortillas) and cut then into 1/8 inch strips. 5 or six tortillas makes enough strips for 4 bowls of soup. After cutting them, place them, all together, in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil in it, or nothing in it if you are that courageous- it's certainly possible, but much easier to burn them. Fry them, stirring quickly, until they are curling up and look golden brown on both sides. Place them on a paper towel to cool for a bit, when you are done with them, the soup should generally be done as well. Throw a handful into each bowl, and voila!

Gourmet veggie only soup. I've gotten rave reviews on this soup from everyone, even strict carnivores, and it's a great choice for when you are feeling lazy and just want to have something good and fast. Microwave leftovers for lunch the next day.

FFVK says: "Makes 4 large servings. Per serving: 257 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 895mg Sodium; 14g Fiber"