Sopa Tarasca (pinto bean soup) is a delicious Mexican soup from the state of Michoacán. This famous soup is made with pinto beans, tomato, and ancho chile and is served with fried tortillas, avocado, Mexican crema, and fried ancho chile. It is a complete delight!

ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This Tarasca soup, a Mexican bean soup from the state of Michoacán in Western Mexico, is very fulfilling. It is perfect when you have old tomatoes in the fridge and you don’t know what to do with them or when you feel like a very rich and easy-to-make Mexican soup.

HOW TO MAKE TARASCAN SOUP (PINTO BEAN SOUP)?
First, add the oil to a hot soup pot and brown the tomato, onion, and garlic. Add the chile ancho and let it brown for 30 seconds. Add the beans and vegetable broth or water. Season and leave for 15 minutes; at this time, you should have well-hydrated chiles and plum tomatoes.
Blend the soup until creamy and return to the pot; if needed, add more liquid. Check for seasoning, cover, and set aside. Start preparing the toppings.


TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST TARASCAN SOUP
- This vegan Mexican bean soup works just as well with homemade beans as it does with canned beans.
- Normally, it is made with pinto beans, but with black beans, it is also very tasty.
- You can use homemade totopos instead of tortilla strips. Check your local supermarket; they may have freshly made tortilla strips or chips.
- You could use sour cream instead of Mexican crema.
- Use a powerful blender for better results; blend in batches if you don’t have one.
- I used Roma tomatoes for this recipe, but feel free to use what you have.


How to make baked tortilla strips?
Preheat the oven to 350º. Cut the corn tortillas into thin strips; lightly brush them with vegetable or spray oil. Season with salt and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use.
How to make fried corn tortilla strips?
Heat 1/4 of the vegetable oil in a small frying pan and add the tortilla strips a little at a time. Leave for 5-7 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oil and place on a tray prepared with paper towels—season with salt and pepper.
How to make fried chile ancho
Cut the chile into strips, and remove the seeds and the stem. Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil; turn it off when it is very hot and add the ancho chile (affiliate link). Move constantly and leave for a maximum minute.
Take out the chiles and let the oil cool so the chiles don’t burn; pour the oil on top of the chiles.

Other vegan recipes that you may like:
- Mexican lentil soup,
- Vegetable soup,
- Vegan broccoli soup and healthy
- Zucchini soup.
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Sopa Tarasca, Pinto bean soup
Equipment
- Soup pot
- blender
- small frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 white onion
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 ancho chile seeded and stemmed
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 cups pinto beans beans and liquid
- 1 tsp of salt
For serving
- 4 corn tortillas cut into strips
- 1 diced avocado
- Mexican crema
- 1 fried chile ancho
Instructions
- First, add the oil to a hot soup pot and brown the tomato, onion, and garlic. Add the chile ancho and let it brown for 30 seconds. Add the beans and vegetable broth or water. Season and leave for 15 minutes; at this time, you should have well-hydrated chiles and plum tomatoes.
- Blend the soup until creamy and return to the pot; if needed, add more liquid. Check for seasoning, cover, and set aside. Start preparing the toppings.
Serve
- In a bowl serve the soup and top with tortilla strips, Mexican crema and fried chile ancho.
Notes
Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use. HOW TO MAKE FRIED CORN TORTILLA STRIPS? Heat 1/4 of the vegetable oil in a small frying pan and add the tortilla strips a little at a time. Leave for 5-7 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oil and place on a tray prepared with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. HOW TO MAKE FRIED CHILE ANCHO Cut the chile into strips, and remove the seeds and the stem. Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil; when it is very hot, turn it off and add the ancho chile (affiliate link). Move constantly and leave for a maximum minute.
Take out the chiles and let the oil cool, so the chiles don’t burn; pour the oil on top of the chiles.
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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