Quick Mexican Soup with Spiced Avocado Salsa

This cold windy weather certainly makes you crave a warm, Lydney Milan joined us in the kitchen to whip us a quick Mexican soup with bite. It's a vegetarian dish that will satisfy carnivores too!

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.

Serves 4, Preparation time 5 mins, 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

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.

Tags Lyndey Milan Entree Stews & Soups