Crispy, cheesy quesadillas nestled in freshly made pinto bean soup? Sold!
I always make quick meals like this….hope you get lots of ideas 🙂
I used some leftover Pico de Gallo from last week’s Chicken Burritos and that made things even easier, but feel free to get creative with the insides of your crispy, cheesy treats.
How to make Pinto Bean Soup with Pico Mini Quesadillas
I also had exactly two slices of bacon in the fridge – perfect!!
I put them in the oven together with two perinito tomatoes:
The bacon will need about 20 minutes, enough for the tomatoes 🙂
In the meantime, sweat 1/2 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a little oil over medium heat.
When the onion starts to brown we will add:
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
Leave the spices to rest on the heat, stirring regularly, then add the other ingredients:
1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups broth
1 chipotle in adobo More information on chipotles in adobo
Bring everything to temperature and then add everything to the blender together with the roasted tomatoes.
Try it, but be sure to use caution when mixing hot liquids! Then you can add it back to the pot.
Give one last taste for the seasoning. I added another pinch of salt but keep in mind that the exact level of salt will depend on the broth you are using. I used this homemade chicken broth.
You can always add more heat by blending in more chipotle or simply adding a little adobo sauce to the pot.
Once you are happy with the soup you can start working on the mini quesadillas. Or crispy cheese tacos, whatever you want to call them 🙂
I get a lot of mileage out of these crunchy cheesy treats and they are extremely flexible, so feel free to use what you have on hand.
For this batch I started by dredging the corn tortillas in a pinch of bacon fat – this will help them crisp up more easily, but you can consider this step optional.
Then I loaded them with:
cheese
Bacon
remaining Pico de Gallo
Once the tortillas are warmed up it’s easy to fold them in half.
Let each side rest for 1-2 minutes or until brown spots form on the bottom side. Once these are done you can plate everything!
I garnished the soup with cream, cilantro, and a few drops of hot sauce, but these are all optional.
And yes, feel free to dip your crunchy cheese treats into the soup 🙂
A quick and satisfying meal that tastes so much better than my local takeout options. Hard to beat him huh?
Enjoy 🙂
Do you want the latest recipe? Click on your favorite among these options and follow me: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tick tock, Youtube.
Pinto bean soup with Pico mini quesadillas
Crispy, cheesy quesadillas nestled in freshly made pinto bean soup? Sold!
Press
Pin
Evaluate
Portions: 2
Calories: 327kcal
ingredients
For the borlotti bean soup:
- 1 Candies pinto beans (15-ounce size, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups action
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 1 chipotle in adobo
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
For the mini quesadillas:
- Pico de Gallo
- 1/2 cup cheese (I used Jack)
- 2 slices bacon (optional)
- 3-4 Corn Tortillas
Instructions
-
I usually start by rinsing and destemming the tomatoes, then roasting them in the oven (400F). I also put 2 slices of bacon in the oven but you can consider it optional. The bacon will need about 20 minutes to cook completely. I usually leave the tomatoes in until I need them.
-
Coarsely chop 1/2 small onion and sweat it in a little oil over medium heat together with 2 whole peeled garlic cloves. For this recipe I used a medium sized soup pot. Once the onion begins to brown we will add: 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. I like to leave these spices in direct contact with the heat for about a minute, stirring regularly. Add remaining ingredients: 1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed), 2 cups broth, and 1 chipotle in adobo. I usually sow chipotle but that’s optional.
-
Bring this mixture to temperature and add everything to a blender together with the roasted tomatoes. Try it, but be sure to use caution when mixing hot liquids! Add it back to the pot and give it a final taste for the seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch, but keep in mind that the exact level of salt will depend on the broth you’re using. I used this homemade chicken broth.
-
Once you are happy with the soup you can start building the mini quesadillas. I started by adding a pinch of bacon drippings to a large skillet over medium heat and tossing in the corn tortillas. This step will help the tortillas crisp up more easily, but you can consider it optional. Each tortilla gets cheese, Pico de Gallo and cooked bacon. Once the tortillas are hot, you can fold them in half and cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until light brown spots form on the underside. Here is my amazing Pico de Gallo recipe.
-
Once the mini quesadillas are ready, it’s time for the food! I garnished the soup with cream, coriander and a few drops of spicy sauce. Enjoy!
Still hungry?!
Do you want to receive Mexican Please recipes via email when they are published? Sign up below to subscribe. All recipes are spam-free.
Thank you for signing up!
