Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe

Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe

I love cozy soups. I make them on a regular basis! They are a healthy choice to make for a meal, when you’re craving anything to warm up your insides, and the perfect way to use up extra veggies. And today, I bring to you a Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe (like a taco soup)! Why taco? Namely because of what you’ll find in a taco: corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, crushed tortillas, a drizzle of lemon, and all the other good stuff. My family finished it on the first go, so we didn’t even have any leftovers. We ALWAYS have some sort of leftovers, so this was surprising! When I doled out the soup to everyone, soon I was asked to give seconds.

Before I knew it, I only had a tiny bowl of this flavourful soup left (hence the small amount used in the photo). I don’t know about you, but I LOVE putting Mexican rice in my tacos (or burritos, or burrito bowl, or any comfort food to be honest. That rice is one of my favourites!) But sometimes, I do get bored with the same old salad bowl, ya know? So I switched it up and had Mexican rice with the soup. I put some vegan yogurt on top to make it a scrumptious veggie, protein and grains packed dinner. It made a great meal prep too – I will inhale this soup hot OR cold.

Origins of Mexican Cuisine

The origins of Mexican cuisine date way back to 7000 BCE, before Mexico and Central America were colonized. The locals survived how they had to, and one of the common plants they’d gather was the wild chile pepper. 500 years later, in 1200 BCE, corn came into the picture. It was domesticated through the Nixtamalization system, where it would be treated with lye to soften it for grinding. This led to the use of corn for tortillas and other grain items.

Because people at the time didn’t have enough sources of protein due to a lack of meat in the area, they would eat a lot of beans with corn, since beans provided protein. This is why Mexican cuisine in general is now heavy on the beans and corn! When the Spanish colonized Mexico, where the locals were Indigenous at the time, they introduced other ingredients into the culture. This included rice, olive oil, coriander, garlic, animals for meat, and cows for dairy. This is how meat and cheese also became a part of their diets. Click here to read more on the history of Mexican Food!

Why You’ll Love This Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe

Protein-Packed: This rich soup uses hearty beans and a vegan meat substitute (I used soy chunks) for a double protein-filled soup. This is a wonderful way to get in a high-protein, vegan meal prep packed with fresh vegetables!

One Pot: This recipe comes together in one big pot, with simple ingredients you can find at the grocery store. The base of a good vegetable soup uses a stir-fried veggies base of garlic and onions with broth. This is how I always start out my soups! Then add some of the ingredients, let them cook with vegetable broth, add the rest and cook some more. It’s a super easy recipe that uses minimal kitchen items!

Taco in a Bowl: This delicious soup reminds me of eating a deconstructed taco as a soup. It has beans, vegan meat (to replace chicken or beef), onion, corn and tomatoes. It is then topped with fresh cilantro, avocado, lemon slices and tortilla chips!

Substitutions

Diced Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes will work too instead of fresh. A chunky tomato pasta sauce can also be used – adjust the salt accordingly, as pasta sauce has salt in it too.

Soy Chunks: Any vegan meat substitute that can mimic chicken or beef will work here. Extra-firm (or regular firm) tofu would be the easiest substitute to find. You can even use a fork to “shred” the tofu into chicken-like pieces (to mimic a Mexican chicken soup)! For a soy free option, use more beans instead of soy.

Purple / Red Onion: A white/yellow onion would work well too.

Lemon Slices: Add a squeeze of lime juice into the soup to serve instead of lemon.

Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe Notes

• Beyond Meat makes vegan ground beef – this would work as a great substitute instead of soy chunks! Try this out for more of a “beef” substitute if you don’t prefer soy chunks.
• This recipe may be adapted to a slow cooker or an instant pot as well. I haven’t tried it, but if you’re more comfortable using one of these options, try it out and leave a comment below on how it went!
• This is a great soup to eat as a light meal or to serve with a main course! One of my favourite ways to serve this is with a salad as an appetizer (a large bowl of soup + salad makes a filling, but light, dinner)!
• To meal prep, freeze individual portions of soup in Ziploc bags or ice cube trays. Then, pop out a few ice cubes and warm up when ready to eat!
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream (vegan sour cream!) or yogurt on top! I love Forager brand’s cashew yogurt because it doesn’t have a strong aftertaste like other vegan yogurts do.
• To elevate this dish, serve with fried tortilla strips, brown rice (cooked rice added into the soup) and green chilies (to up the spice level)!
• Add in sweet potatoes, red bell pepper or poblano peppers for more fresh veggies when cooking the soup!

More Savoury Meal Recipes

Maple BBQ Tempeh

Yaki Udon

Minestrone Soup

Kale Peanut Soup

Yellow Lentil Soup

Lentil Butternut Squash Soup

If you make this Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe, leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!