Creamy Chipotle Lime White Bean Soup
A creamy chipotle lime white bean soup served topped with roasted plantains. An easy nourishing soup that is great to meal prep.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chipotle Lime White Bean Soup
- Packed with fiber. Since the base of this soup is made using white beans, they add a tone of fiber to our soup. Fiber can help support your digestive health and improve meal satisfaction.
- Easy to adjust. Feel free to adjust the spice or ingredients as needed. This soup is flexible and can be adjusted to suit your taste.
- Great to prep in advance. Make a large batch of soup in advance to freeze. Then you can enjoy this soup whenever you need it.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- White Beans: I used canned beans to save time, but using freshly made white beans will make this even better. You can replace with chickpeas or make this with pinto beans.
- Tomatoes: I used two fresh roma tomatoes because canned tomatoes tend to cause issue for heart burn with some of my family members (fresh tomatoes tend to not cause the same reaction for them). You can replace the tomatoes for tomato paste in the recipe to save a step in having to char them. If you can, I do recommend using tomato paste from a tube instead of a can as it tastes a little sweeter/less acidic.
- Chipotle Peppers: I used canned chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce. If you can’t tolerate spice, you can swap with 2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon chili powder.
- Shallots: You can swap with half a medium yellow or white onion.
- Spices: I used a combination of coriander, smoked paprika, and fennel seeds.
- Herbs: I used thyme and cilantro.
- Vegetable Broth: Please use good quality vegetable broth! It makes such a difference in the flavor of your soup. My favorite brands to use would be using Better Than Bouillon (a paste to dissolve in water) and Edward & Sons bouillon cubes.
- Cashews: If you are allergic to cashews you can swap them with sunflower seeds. You can also replace with 1 cup full-fat coconut milk.
- Lime: Use fresh lime because you will need both the lime zest and juice.
How to Make a Creamy Chipotle Lime White Bean Soup
To an unoiled pan over medium heat, add the tomatoes and grill on both sides until blackened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender cup with a pinch of salt and pulse to roughly blend then set aside. Place the cashews in a heat safe measuring cup and cover with boiling water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425F if making the plantains. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. When hot, add the shallots with a pinch of salt and saute until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant then stir in the paprika and coriander.
Pour in the blended tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth and thyme then give everything a good stir to combine. Add the bay leaf and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes.
Drain the cashews and place in the same blender cup with the chipotle peppers, lime zest, a pinch of salt and water then blend on high until completely smooth.
Pour the mixture into the soup, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat.
If making plantains, start them when the soup is simmering. Place the plantains on a baking tray and spray generously with oil to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and roast for another 5-10 minutes until golden then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
When serving the soup top with a few slices of plantain, avocado slices, and cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice over top then enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the spice. If you want this soup to be less spicy, just use less chipotle peppers. Want it to be hotter? Just use more. Don’t want any spice at all? Replace the peppers with 2 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp chili powder.
- Save time. If you are not in the mood to cook plantains, feel free to top your soup with plantain chips instead. You can also save time by replacing the charred tomatoes with a tablespoon of tomato paste (see notes for recommended type). If using tomato paste, just add it after sauteing the onions and garlic then saute for 2-3 minutes to caramelize before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
- Easier cream. I like to make cashew cream because it has less saturated fat. However, if you want an easier swap, just use a cup of full fat coconut milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store extra soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I would recommend making the plantains fresh if making from scratch when serving the soup. Alternatively, you can replace cooking the plantains with using store bought plantain chips to top the soup instead.
The soup base freezes really well. I recommend freezing the soup into smaller individual portions. The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to use these souper cubes. Once frozen you can transfer to a large freezer bag then reheat the number of portions you need to without having to thaw or reheat the whole soup.
Make It Balanced
Combing the soup with plantains and extra vegetable toppings helps to balance the whole meal with healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates. All these components together keep you feeling satisfied, supporting healthy digestion and strong muscles.
If you don’t have access to plantains you can instead serve the soup with tortilla strips, or warm some tortillas and use to dip in the soup.
More Satisfying Plant-Based Soups to Try
- Double Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
- Pesto Broccoli Orzo Soup
- Sesame Miso Beans with Kabocha Squash Chips
- Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Vegan Kimchi Jjigae
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Creamy Chipotle Lime White Bean Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A creamy chipotle lime white bean soup served topped with roasted plantains. An easy nourishing soup that is great to meal prep.
Ingredients
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 2–3 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 large shallots, minced
- 6–8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2, 15 oz can white beans
- 4 cups good quality vegetable broth
- 2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dry thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (plus boiling water)
- 2–3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from a can
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup water
- Kosher salt
Baked Plantains (optional)
- 2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into slices
- Oil for roasting
For serving: avocado, cilantro, lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- To an unoiled pan over medium heat, add the tomatoes and grill on both sides until blackened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender cup with a pinch of salt and pulse to roughly blend then set aside. Place the cashews in a heat safe measuring cup and cover with boiling water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425F if making the plantains. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. When hot, add the shallots with a pinch of salt and saute until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant then stir in the paprika and coriander.
- Pour in the blended tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth and thyme then give everything a good stir to combine. Add the bay leaf and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and place in the same blender cup with the chipotle peppers, lime zest, a pinch of salt and water then blend on high until completely smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the soup, stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat.
- If making plantains, start them when the soup is simmering. Place the plantains on a baking tray and spray generously with oil to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and roast for another 5-10 minutes until golden then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- When serving the soup top with a few slices of plantain, avocado slices, and cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice over top then enjoy.
Notes
Adjust the spice. If you want this soup to be less spicy, just use less chipotle peppers. Want it to be hotter? Just use more. Don’t want any spice at all? Replace the peppers with 2 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp chili powder.
Save time. If you are not in the mood to cook plantains, feel free to top your soup with plantain chips instead. You can also save time by replacing the charred tomatoes with a tablespoon of tomato paste (see notes for recommended type). If using tomato paste, just add it after sauteing the onions and garlic then saute for 2-3 minutes to caramelize before continuing with the rest of the recipe.
Easier cream. I like to make cashew cream because it has less saturated fat. However, if you want an easier swap, just use a cup of full fat coconut milk.
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