Soup is perfect for cold days like these. A hot pot of soup cooking on your stove top for hours makes your home smell heavenly. Then, eating it in the comfort of your warm home makes winter much more fun. Here is a recipe for pinto bean soup. You can make it as a vegetarian dish by using vegetable stock or you can use chicken stock. Finally, you top it off with shredded cheese and a dollop of  sour cream and the combination is delicious.

Pinto bean soup: CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SLIDE SHOW

Serves 6

Prep time: overnight and 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 ½ hour

3 C. dry pinto beans

6 cups of water

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ C. vegetable or chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 C. stewed tomatoes

2 C. corn

1 Tbsp. oregano

1 Tbsp thyme

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp. pepper

¼ C. shredded cheddar cheese per bowl

1 tsp. sour cream per bowl

Wash the dried beans thoroughly. Place in a bowl and cover with enough water so they can double in size. Cover and set aside overnight. The next day, wash the beans again. Pour the olive oil in a stock pot or a crock pot. Heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic until browned. Add the beans to the pot and add enough water to cover the beans. Add the bay leaf. Bring this to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour. Add the broth, the stewed tomatoes, and the corn. Add the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Pour into bowls. Add shredded cheese and sour cream. Enjoy.

If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like:

• Burrito bowl
• Black bean soup
• Chili verde
• A healthy vegetarian diet