Main Course / December 9, 2025

three bean chipotle tortilla soup

Name: three bean chipotle tortilla soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 small yellow onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 14-oz cans fire roasted tomatoes; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1 can pinto beans, drained; 1 can white beans, drained; 1 can black beans, drained; green onions, tortilla strips (see note), cilantro, fresh limes, and shredded cheddar cheese, to serve

I guess among the Christmas cookie baking we should probably eat dinner, too.

And on this Tuesday, we’re enjoying a hearty bowl of Three Bean Chipotle Tortilla Soup. A cold front moved through on Sunday and brought a shitload of rain to the bay area (and lots of puddles to jump through on my workout in the morn). When the weather mellows out, I crave soup even more aggressively, and that’s why I’m sharing a new variation seemingly every other week.

This easy and VEGAN bowl is loaded with a kick of Mexican-inspired spice, three kinds of beans, and finished with a asston of toppings to your taste and desire. I load up my soups and chilis as best I can because I do subscribe to the “go big or go home” moniker when it comes to this type of meal.

I like my soups like I like my pockets: LOADED.

Dive in to a big and cozy helping; there’s nothing like a warm culinary hug to your tummy to finish a long day.

All Aboard the Tortilla Flotilla

First off, I love making homemade tortilla strips for this kind of dish. You can certainly shortcut and buy a bag pre-made, but I don’t mind the extra pile of yellow corn tortillas on my countertop. Good excuse to scare up a batch of tacos at some point.

If you’d like to follow suit, cut up some tortillas into strips, toss with a little olive oil, and bake at 400 for 7-8 minutes. Watch these like a goddamn hawk, ya’ll, else they’ll burn like all the dreams you thought you had down pat in your teens.

Pull the tray from the oven and sprinkle a little flaky salt on those bad boys.

Onto the soup. Very little involved here for such a banger of a meal.

Saute some onion in olive oil until soft and fragrant, then stir in minced garlic and the spice mix: smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, cumin, and oregano. If you’ve been here awhile this blend is mighty familiar to you in my chilis and soups.

Toss in a couple cans of fire roasted tomatoes, and a can each of black beans, white beans, and pinto beans. Then, some vegetable broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook at least 15 minutes, but longer if you’d like your flavors to deepen slow and steady throughout the afternoon. Just make sure you have your burner set to a comfy low setting and check the liquid level every so often.

Serving the soup is my favorite part. Aside from the fact that I get to eat it, I love prettying up my dose with all sorts of nifty shit. Green onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, lots of cheddar, and a handful of tortilla strips seals the deal for me. I often do avocado, too, if I have some around.

Tip: You can freeze this soup! Let the batch cool completely, seal up in a few gallon-sized ziptop bags, and pop in the chiller for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to nosh, dump the contents into a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring, until back to a good toasty temperature.

Hope you’ve got your holiday decor up (if you celebrate) and if not, perhaps a post-dinner session of rockin’ around the Christmas tree is in order this week.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Willy nilly chili:

Quick and Cozy Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

White Street Corn Chili Chowder

Easy Smoky Chili Con Queso

Rustic Black Bean Soup