Quick Mexican Soup with Spiced Avocado Salsa

Quick Mexican Soup with Spiced Avocado Salsa

This is a hearty main course soup which will please not only vegetarians. Carnivores could add some crumbled crisp bacon if desired.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon (20ml) olive oil
1 medium (150g) red onion, finely chopped
1 medium (200g) red capsicum, finely diced
1 medium (200g) green capsicum, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons Mexican chilli powder (or to taste)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
700g bottled tomato passata sauce
500ml vegetable stock
400g red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium (240g) zucchini, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream, to serve
Soft corn tortillas, to serve

Avocado Salsa
1 medium (250g) avocado, roughly chopped
1 long green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
½ lime, juiced
½ bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or stock pot, add onion and capsicum and cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, Mexican chilli powder and ground cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, for an extra 3 minutes or until softened.
2. Add tomato passata and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile make avocado salsa by combine-ining all ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add well drained kidney beans to soup and return to the boil. Add diced zucchini and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the zucchini are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast tortillas on char-grill if desired.
5. Serve soup in bowls topped with a spoonful of sour cream and a spoonful of avocado salsa.

Lyndey’s Note: While kidney beans are traditional, you could substitute well-drained canned cannellini beans or even lentils if desired.