A neater burrito: bean burrito soup

Several months ago, I posted a recipe for taco soup. I discovered that recipe on a quest to find a neater, cleaner way to eat tacos. I have to admit, though, that I have similar problems with eating burritos. The messiness quotient for burritos is magnified by the fact that I cannot properly fold a burrito.

My burritos are a travesty. But much like my omelets, they are a visual disaster but they taste delicious. Fortunately for me, I have discovered a solution to make a wonderfully tasty bean burrito without having it look like slop on a plate. That solution? Bean burrito soup!

I found this recipe on www.weightwatchers.com (in addition to finding new recipes, The Empty Kitchen is also trying to lose some weight). It is ridiculously quick easy to make, moderately inexpensive and besides the basic recipe, you can make several variations:

Bean Burrito Soup (from Weight Watchers)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 16 oz can fat-free refried beans
• 1 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetable (avoid the kind with green beans)
• 2 tbsp diced chiles
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 6″ flour tortilla, cut into thin strips
• 6 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 tbsp sour cream (if you opt for low-fat or fat-free, and you don’t eat meat, check to make sure it does not have gelatin)
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Bring broth and beans to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat
2. Add mixed vegetables, chiles, garlic and chili powder. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the vegetables are tender (about 6 minutes)
3. Divide evenly among 4 bowls. Top with cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips and cilantro

I'm not sure about the calories, but it's 5 points per serving!

Also, there’s a new feature to my recipe posts: printable recipes! I finally figured out how to do it! So, if you’d like to print your own copy of this recipe, here it is: printable recipe for Bean Burrito Soup