I decided this week to go with a soup. It’s not quite sweater weather yet, but Tony loves soups. Frankly, so do I. I wanted to go with something simple because we are still working on the house. We are in the home stretch and everything we finish just makes the house complete. I am starting with a recipe from the Cozy Cook for Pinto Bean Soup. I was inspired by a similar recipe from the New York Times, but they want me to pay to access it. Not going to happen. I am going to take this recipe and make it vegetarian to fit our diet. The original recipe does contain sausage, so I will replace that with a vegetarian sausage recipe. I will also add some more veggies. More veggies means a more filling soup. Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the flour with cornstarch to remove the gluten.
• I removed the heavy cream to lower the saturated fat and calories.
• I replaced the Italian sausage with a homemade tofu chorizo from the Minimalist Baker to change the flavor, reduce the saturated fat and make this vegetarian.
• I removed the chicken broth to lower the sodium.
• I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I replaced the pinto beans with a low sodium variety to reduce the sodium.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 6 reduce the calories and sodium.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe

Vegetarian Pinto Bean Soup

Serves 6

• Minimalist Baker Vegan Chorizo
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup carrots, diced
• 3 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 cups water
• 3 cups spinach
• 2 15.5 oz. cans low sodium pinto beans
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

1. Follow the instructions for the vegan chorizo, set aside. Make sure to use a large Dutch oven so that you don’t have to use multiple pans.
2. Add the diced onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and beans.
4. Add the water and use a silicone spatula to scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the chorizo back. Simmer for 15 more minutes, then add the spinach and let it wilt for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the cornstarch to 1/4 cup water. Mix to make a slurry. Add to the soup and stir. Simmer until thickened
7. Serve