One-Pot Mexicali Black Bean Soup

🥘 Ingredients

• Southwest Spice Blend
  1 tbsp
• Tex-Mex paste
  1 unit
• black beans
  2 unit
• black pepper
  1 tsp
• blue corn tortilla chips
  4 oz
• cheddar cheese
  1 c
• cooking oil
  4 tsp
• onion
  1 unit
• salt
  1 tsp
• scallions
  2 unit
• smoky red pepper crema
  2 tbsp
• tomato
  1 unit
• tomato paste
  1 unit
• veggie stock concentrate
  1 unit
• water
  1¾ cup

🍳 Cookware

• small bowl
• large pot

1. 

   1

   Wash and dry all produce. Halve, peel, and finely dice onion until you have ¾ cup (1½ cups for 4 servings). Trim and thinly slice scallions , separating whites from greens. Dice tomato . Drain black beans over a small bowl , reserving liquid.

   onion: 1 unit, scallions: 2 unit, tomato: 1 unit, black beans: 2 unit
2. 

   2

   Heat a large drizzle of cooking oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and scallion whites. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add Southwest Spice Blend ; stir until fragrant, ⏱️ 30 seconds . Stir in diced tomato, tomato paste , and Tex-Mex paste ; cook until slightly darkened in color, ⏱️ 1 minute .

   cooking oil: 4 tsp, Southwest Spice Blend: 1 tbsp, tomato paste: 1 unit, Tex-Mex paste: 1 unit
3. 

   3

   Stir water , veggie stock concentrate , beans, and ¼ cup reserved bean liquid into pot. (For 4 servings, use 3 cups water and ½ cup bean liquid.) Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5-8 minutes. TIP: Prefer your broth a bit thicker? Simmer a little longer - or vice versa, if you prefer a thinner broth! You're the chef, after all. Taste and season with salt and black pepper . Turn off heat.

   water: 1¾ cup, veggie stock concentrate: 1 unit, salt: 1 tsp, black pepper: 1 tsp
4. 

   4

   Crush a few blue corn tortilla chips . Divide soup between bowls and top with scallion greens, cheddar cheese , smoky red pepper crema , and as many crushed tortilla chips as you like. (TIP: Start with a few crushed chips and add more as you go to keep them crunchy!) Serve with whole tortilla chips on the side.

   blue corn tortilla chips: 4 oz, cheddar cheese: 1 c, smoky red pepper crema: 2 tbsp