With the help of a food processor, this tasty no-cook and naturally vegan cold pinto bean soup recipe is ready to eat in minutes. Embellished with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and olives (as well as a few optional garnishes), it’s a fantastic main-dish soup for warmer months.
The pinto bean puree that makes up the soup base is quite simple; you can go crazy (in a good way) with the toppings, which really make the dish special.
Must-haves are fresh tomato, bell pepper, olive, and avocado; if you’d like, you can go a few steps further with fresh chile pepper, vegan sour cream, and more.
What to serve with cold pinto bean soup
- Serve with stone-ground tortilla chips, warmed flour tortillas.
- Add fresh corn on the cob and/or a potato salad for a larger meal. Here’s a roundup of tasty vegan potato salads.
- On cooler evenings when you don’t mind turning on the oven, a homemade quick bread, corn muffins, or savory muffins like Quick Vegan Sunflower-Cheese Bread (shown in the photo above) or Vegan Corn Muffins with Cheese and Herbs are great choices.
Recipe adapted from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.
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Quick Cold Pinto Bean Soup
With the help of a food processor, this tasty, no-cook cold pinto bean soup will be ready to eat in minutes.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked or two 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (try fire-roasted or Italian-style)
- 2 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
- Juice of 1 lime or lemon (about ¼ cup)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 to 1 cup water, or as needed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Must-have toppings
- 1 medium bell pepper, any color, cut into large chunks
- 3 ripe plum (Roma) or other small, firm tomatoes, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives, halved
- 1 finely diced avocado
- More cilantro or parsley
Optional additional garnishes
- 1 jalapeño (for a spicy effect) or poblano (for a mild flavor), seeded and coarsely chopped
- More scallion, thinly sliced
- Vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Combine the beans, canned tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, lime
juice, chili powder, and cumin in a food processor and process until pureed, leaving just a bit of texture. - Transfer to a large serving container or soup tureen. Stir in enough water to give the soup a medium-thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
- At this point, you can serve the soup at room temperature, or
refrigerate for an hour or longer to chill. Either way, prepare the must-have toppings just before you’re ready to serve. - Top each serving with some bell pepper, tomato, olives, and avocado; top with any of the optional garnishes suggested or pass them around in small bowls.
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This soup was super easy to make. I served it with some toast for a light summer dinner. It was filling and delicious. The recipe did not require any changes or modifications for my tastes. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Deborah — I’m glad you enjoyed this soup!