Veggie nacho soup

It just keeps getting colder! Anyone would think it was nearly winter or something – ridiculous. It’s a real effort to even force myself to get dressed in the mornings because I can’t stand to spend even a few seconds not cuddled up in my warm pyjamas. Of course I do end up getting dressed in the end, but I’m not happy about it. It certainly doesn’t help that I’ve had a cold for about a week, and just when I thought my sore throat had got better, it came back with a vengeance. Lucky me.
On the plus side, I think I might have discovered my ultimate warming dinner. When you eat this it literally feels like someone’s lit a small fire inside you (well perhaps not literally), plus it tastes pretty amazing too. It’s nacho soup – how could it not?
Imagine your favourite flavours from your favourite pile of nachos – and then imagine those same flavours in the form of a thick wintery soup. That’s what we’ve got here.

The soup itself is actually really simple, but we all know that the best part of most soups is the heap of toppings you can pile on top – and this soup just cries out for toppings (in fact that’s kind of the whole point. They’re what make this soup nacho-esque). I went for grated cheddar, coriander and sour cream, but you can go for whatever you fancy – spring onions? Guacamole? Salsa? It’s all welcome here.
For the sake of taking pretty pictures, I was really restrained with my toppings at first, but I’m sure some of you know me well enough by now to know that I heaped a lot more on after the camera was turned off. It’s totally allowed when the soup itself is pretty healthy, or at least that’s what I like to tell myself.

And just in case the toppings aren’t quite enough to make this feel like nachos, you can always whip up a quick batch of homemade tortilla chips (well, semi-homemade anyway) like I did for dipping. It’s the perfect combination!
- 1tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced or diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow pepper
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (I used hot)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 435g tin refried beans
- For the baked tortilla chips:
- 3 mini tortillas
- Spray oil
- You choice of toppings, to serve: grated cheese, chopped fresh coriander, sour cream, guacamole, chopped spring onions, etc.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and cook the onion, garlic and pepper quite slowly over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the spices and seasonings, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly, until fragrant.
- Add the tins of tomatoes and refried beans, and mix well. Cook over a low heat for several more minutes, until it has all come together and the soup has reached your desired consistency (if you’d like it to be thinner, just add a dash of water). Make sure you stir fairly regularly to stop the beans from sticking to the pan.
- If making the baked tortilla chips, cut the tortillas into triangles, and lay out in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray lightly with oil, and bake for around 10 minutes at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) – keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- When the soup and tortilla chips are ready, serve the soup with your preferred toppings, with the tortilla chips at the side.

I made this last night and it was delicious! Still nice warmed up the next day. My boyfriend is a meat eater and even he was a convert. I over cooked the nachos a bit, but I’ll definitely be trying this again. Thanks Becca :)
Thanks for your message Lorna, I’m so glad you (and the boyfriend!) enjoyed it! :)
Looks yummy! It’s finally started to cool off where I live (it was in the 90s earlier this week!) but this soup looks perfect for a cozy winter night. Thanks for sharing!
Mmm looks so warm and hearty!
oh yum! I’ve made something similar and I LOVE it.. so yummy… pinning :o) EMily
Beautiful photos ! It looks so tasty :)
looks like a nice warming fiesta in a bowl.
Delicious blend of flavors to make a tasty and healthy soup!
Looks gorgeous Becca! Can’t wait to try it x