This Tex-Mex chorizo and pinto bean soup is the perfect cool weather meal prep recipe with 15 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber per serving. It’s super easy to make, reheats perfectly, and tastes even better on day two and beyond. You can make it in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the stovetop in no time at all.
Chorizo and Pinto Bean Soup Ingredients
Everything you’ll need:
- lean Mexican chorizo
- diced onion and poblano peppers*
- canned pinto beans, diced green chiles, and stewed tomatoes
- chicken broth
- corn tortillas
- chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and dried oregano
*Check out my hamburger and potato soup for a shortcut using frozen vegetables or turkey chili for a way to pack even more hidden veggies into your soup.
Chorizo
I buy the Apco lean chorizo at HEB here in Texas. If you’re looking for a comparable product, the 12-ounce package has 600 calories, 66g of protein, 6g of carbs, and 36g of fat. A little extra fat won’t make or break your pinto bean soup if you’re having trouble finding lean options. You could also throw together something like my ground chicken chorizo which is nearly fat free.
Canned Ingredients
I like to use low sodium options that way I can salt to taste to my liking at the end. If you’re using normal canned pinto beans, be careful with the salt in the finished soup.
Corn Tortillas
If you’ve tried my (unbelievably tasty) Tex-Mex ground chicken soup, you’re familiar with the corn tortillas. As your pinto bean soup cooks, the tortillas will break down completely. This both thickens the soup and provides flavor.
How to Make Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, I have you covered. You’ll find a recipe walkthrough below with notes on using the stovetop or slow cooker. The complete recipe card is at the bottom of the post if you’re confident and ready to get cooking.
Use the sauté function to cook chorizo, diced onion, and diced poblano peppers.
You’ll want to brown the chorizo slightly before adding the veggies. As we know, browning is an important process for flavor development. But you’ll also get some rendered fat to coat the onion and poblano as they cook.
If you’re not using chorizo, you’ll want to add a little olive oil for the onion and poblano.
It should take around 8-10 minutes to fully cook the chorizo and soften the veggies. You don’t have to worry about overcooking the chorizo so let the veggies go as long as they need.
Stovetop or slow cooker note: You can use a soup pot or skillet (to add to a slow cooker) over medium-high heat to complete this step.
Add diced green chiles, stewed tomatoes, canned pinto beans, seasoning, corn tortillas, and chicken broth to the Instant Pot.
Nothing gets drained! I’m always asked why I never drain beans, and it’s because the liquid is packed with protein and nutrients. Have you heard of aquafaba (typically made from canned chickpeas, but other beans work as well)?
And since we’re using low sodium versions, we’re not concerned about the need to wash away all the sodium.
If you’re short on dried spices, you could easily substitute the seasoning blend for something like packaged taco seasoning. Though, you’ll want to keep an eye on the sodium and the salt added to your finished pinto bean soup.
Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
Any visible pieces of corn tortillas should dissolve with a quick stir. If not, you can always pop the lid back on and pressure cook another 5-10 minutes or just let everything hang out together on your Instant Pot’s keep warm function. This pinto bean soup is definitely one of those that only gets better with time.
Don’t forget to salt your finished soup at this point before serving!
Stovetop or slow cooker note: For the stovetop, bring everything up to a boil before reducing to a simmer for about 30 minutes. You’re looking for the tortillas to dissolve and the soup to thicken slightly. The same goes for a slow cooker. Everything is fully cooked, so you could go low and slow all day to let flavors develop and serve for dinner or cook on high for a couple hours to serve a weekend lunch.
Serving Your Chorizo and Pinto Bean Soup
Your typical taco soup accompaniments will treat you well here. Tortilla chips or strips, shredded cheese or queso fresco, sour cream or fat free Greek yogurt (our preference), and fresh cilantro all deserve a space on your table.
If you have some more time, I think something like keto jalapeño cornbread or low calorie Mexican cornbread muffins would be great additions. As would some Mexican pickled vegetables.
More Healthy Soup and Chili Recipes
In case you’re as excited about soup season as we are around here.
- High Protein Veggie Overload Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Texas Chili
- Easy Kid Friendly Chili
- Mexican Shredded Chicken Soup
- Dairy Free Creamy Buffalo Ground Chicken Chili
Okay, that covers everything. If you have a question about this pinto bean soup I forgot to touch on, drop a comment below. And when you’re eating your seventh bowl of soup and thinking about how much you love it, think of me. I always appreciate recipe reviews. Just click the stars on the recipe card below!
Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup with Chorizo
Porky pinto beans with Mexican stewed tomatoes, green chiles, and poblano peppers.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Lean Mexican Chorizo
- 1 medium (200g) White Onion, diced
- 2 Poblano Peppers, diced
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 3 cans Low Sodium Pinto Beans
- 15 oz can Mexican Stewed Tomatoes
- 4 oz can Diced Green Chiles
- 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 4 Corn Tortillas, cut or torn into small pieces
- 1-2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to its sauté function. Once hot, add the chorizo and brown both sides for about a minute before adding the onion and poblano. Break the chorizo apart and cook everything together for 8-10 minutes until the chorizo is fully cooked and the vegetables have softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the salt and stir everything together.
- Seal and cook with high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Vent, stir, and salt to taste. (I used reduced sodium pinto beans and added the full 2 teaspoons.)
- Serve with cilantro, shredded cheese or queso fresco, fat free Greek yogurt, and tortilla chips.
Notes
See the post above for ingredient substitution notes and tips for preparing this soup in a slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Each serving has 6 WW SmartPoints (blue).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup (about 12 oz)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 5gCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 7gProtein: 15g
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Mary Moyer
Monday 29th of November 2021
This soup was warm and comforting! I love that Mason lives in Austin and I can get the exact ingredients used in the recipe. I served this at a friend’s gathering and everyone had seconds. Using chorizo gives it an extra kick!