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Vegetarian Taco Soup

Vegetarian taco soup with beans, corn, and fire-roasted tomatoes simmered until richly flavored. A one-pot Tex-Mex style broth topped with avocado, lime, cilantro, and sour cream for a creamy finish.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vegetarian taco soup base
  • 15 oz black beans Drained
  • 15 oz pinto beans Drained
  • 15 oz kidney beans Drained
  • 15 oz corn Drained
  • 10 oz Rotel tomatoes
  • 14 oz diced tomatoes
  • 14 oz fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 green bell pepper Diced
  • 1 onion Diced
  • 3 cloves garlic Minced
  • 1 oz taco seasoning 1 packet
  • 4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper To taste
Toppings
  • 1 avocado Sliced
  • 0.25 cup cilantro Chopped
  • 1 lime wedges
  • 0.5 cup sour cream or vegan sour cream
  • 2 tortilla chips For serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion and green bell pepper for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until softened and glossy (visual cue: translucent onion edges).
  2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture should smell fragrant (visual cue: light golden garlic).
  3. Stir in the taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Toast the spices until fragrant (visual cue: darker, aromatic spice coating on the vegetables).
Simmer the soup
  1. Add the black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and scrape up any browned bits (visual cue: red-orange broth with beans and corn).
  2. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, keep it boiling briefly (about 1 minute) before reducing heat.
  3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes to meld flavors. Season with salt and black pepper, tasting near the end (visual cue: slightly thickened, cohesive broth).
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream (or vegan sour cream), and tortilla chips (visual cue: fresh green and creamy white on top).

Notes

For the best texture, use well-drained canned beans and keep the soup at a steady simmer rather than a hard boil. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days in a sealed container; freeze up to 3 months (add toppings after reheating). For a dairy-free option, choose vegan sour cream and skip traditional sour cream while keeping the avocado and lime.