Fast Refried Bean Soup

The workshop was in March and it went better than I'd expected, which is the best outcome for anything you're doing for the first time. Twenty people, ages ranging from teenagers to a woman in her seventies who said she used to watch her grandmother make bean bread and wanted to learn it properly herself. That last participant set the tone I wanted: this wasn't a demonstration, it was a transmission. Something was passing from one pair of hands to another.

We spent the morning on bean bread—the whole process, the soaking and cooking of the beans, the preparation of the hominy, the mixing and cooking of the bread itself, the patience required. The afternoon covered fry bread and wild onion preparation and ended with a kanuchi demonstration. I did most of the pounding myself—you can watch it done all day and still not be prepared for the physical reality of it when you try—and a few participants took turns at the mortar and left with new respect for the preparation.

The teenage girl who asked me about bean bread at the youth powwow two years ago was there. I recognized her and she didn't recognize me, which was fine. She worked through the bean bread process with serious concentration and at the end of the day her loaf was as good as anyone's first loaf. I told her that. She didn't smile the way teenagers often do when you compliment them. She just said: good. And then she asked what she needed to do different next time.

I drove home full of something I can't name precisely. Like a muscle I hadn't known was there had finally been used.

Beans were at the center of that whole day — the soaking, the patience, the way the process asks something of you before it gives anything back. When I got home that evening I wasn’t ready to start anything complicated, but I still wanted beans. This fast refried bean soup is what I made: quick where the workshop was slow, but grounded in the same place. It’s a good recipe to have on the other side of a long, full day.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cans (16 oz each) refried beans
2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1/2 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, tortilla chips

Instructions

Combine the base. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the refried beans and broth until smooth and well combined.
Add vegetables and seasoning. Stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles, corn, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Mix until evenly incorporated.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and slightly thickened.
Finish and season. Squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and add toppings as desired: a spoonful of sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, or crushed tortilla chips on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Fast Refried Bean Soup — The Beans You Come Back To