Sopa tarasca (pinto bean soup)

Sopa tarasca is Michoacán in a bowl: a velvety purée of beans and roasted tomato, crowned with crispy tortilla strips and dark ribbons of fried pasilla chili. It is humble, deeply flavored, and exactly what a cold evening is asking for.

The soup takes its name from the Purépecha (Tarascan) people of central Mexico, and the traditional presentation — served in clay bowls with cream, fresh cheese and avocado — turns a simple bean soup into a small ceremony.

The method is straightforward: soak and cook the beans, blend them with roasted tomato, garlic and onion, and finish with the fried garnishes that give the soup its personality. Vegetable broth makes it fully vegetarian without losing a thing.

Sopa Tarasca Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 12 hours soaking) · Cook time: 50 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 10 minutes active · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~265 per serving

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (10.6 oz) bayo or pinto beans, dried
• 3 tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ onion
• 5 corn tortillas, cut into strips
• 1 pasilla chili, seeded (guajillo also works)
• Vegetable oil (such as sunflower)
• Salt, to taste
• Crema, queso fresco and avocado, for serving

Instructions

1. Soak the beans in water for 12 hours, then drain.
2. Roast the tomatoes in a dry frying pan until the skins loosen; peel and set aside.
3. Cook the beans in a pressure cooker with about 4 cups of water for 30 minutes.
4. Drain the beans and blend them with 1⅓ cups of their cooking liquid and a pinch of salt.
5. Blend the tomatoes with the garlic and onion, and combine with the blended beans.
6. Heat oil in a pot, add the bean-tomato mixture and the chicken broth, and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
7. Fry the tortilla strips until golden and remove them; in the remaining oil, lightly fry the pasilla chili.
8. Serve in bowls (clay, traditionally), topped with the tortilla strips and crumbled fried chili.

Recipe Notes

• Crema, queso fresco or cotija, avocado cubes, cilantro or a squeeze of lime all belong on top.
• Vegetable broth makes it vegetarian with no loss of flavor.
• Guajillo substitutes for pasilla; canned beans work in a pinch (skip the soak and pressure-cook).
• The fried pasilla is not just garnish — crumble it in as you eat for little bursts of smoky heat.