2.2 min read
My mom used to make a quick bean salad for parties and pot lucks by simply tossing several cans of different beans into a big bowl with a suitable vinaigrette. Folks loved it! Now, you can make a hearty, anytime soup the same way!
Full disclosure: I once worked in the kitchen at my city’s main shelter for homeless people We served more than 1,200 meals a day to those who wouldn’t otherwise have had anything to eat…
My lunchtime triumph
One of my jobs was to put together the ‘vegetarian option’ for the lunch service every day. I knew that the food donations in the master pantry always contained lots of canned beans. And being fresh out of culinary school, I knew beans were one of the most nutritious foods we could serve. Thus was created my Mission Bean Stew recipe…
I emptied a total of about 8 L / 2 gal of canned beans into the biggest stock pot we had, followed that with a big 2 L / 1 gal bag of dry egg noodles, and added two 500 ml scoops of veggie soup base. Brought that to the boil, then reduced to simmer. My last addition was 500 ml of flour slurry to thick-en the whole conglomeration. And, like Mom’s bean salad (my inspiration for the dish, if you hadn’t glomed onto that!), everybody loved it!
Let’s try it with soup..
Today’s featured recipe seems simple – maybe even pedestrian. But it’s actually a triumph of nut-ritional science dressed up in a fun and flavourful Tex-Mex suit!
Six-Can Tortilla Soup is just that. Maybe even a stew!
What you do
Just empty the canned solid ingredients (including the tomatoes) into a big colander and drain well.
Plop them into a big pot and add the broth.
Bring to a boil and add either 1 cup / 225 ml of dry noodles or 1/3 cup / 85 ml of long grain rice, stir-ring well. This ingredient is optional, if you plan to go heavy on the crumbled corn chips at serving time. The idea is to combine a grain and a bean to constitute a complete nutritional protein. But, I feel compelled to observer that the kernel corn and corn chips both count as a grain, too! It’s up to you…
Reduce to a simmer and let bubble gently until the noodles or rice (as the case may be) are done.
Tips and hacks
Add more broth if you want a soup; less if you want a stew.
For a stew, add a cornstarch slurry.
DO embrace your personal preferences with any additional Tex-Mex herbs and spices you love. I always add a little cumin and coriander…
My preference is for a thickened soup – bordering on a stew. But I still eat it with a spoon!
You can make this soup either with the recommended chicken or as a ‘veggie option’.
If using meat, make this an opportunity to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or Holiday Feast turkey.
My take
There’s no reason not to use canned veggies and fruits year round, to save money and access their innate convenience. Choose low-salt versions – and go organic, if you wish.
You can use noodles or rice, but I love a BIG handful of crumbled (not crushed!) corn chips on mine. And make that a BIG handful of grated Cheddar or Monterrey Jack on top of them!
~ Maggie J.