
I love soups! All soups! They are ideal in so many ways for runners and athletes. The high liquid concentration helps with hydration, they are quick and easy to prepare (well, most are) and highly satiating relative to their calorific content due to the volume. Of course, nothing quite beats a steaming bowlful of soup after a winter long run. But chilled soups β like this Mexican bean soup βare also great in the hot weather that we have been experiencing lately in the UK. This bowl of chilled soup multitasks in helping you rehydrate, refuel and cool down! And it’s ready in minutes.
(This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through the link, I will receive a commission β at no extra cost to you)
This recipe was inspired by my love of the tastes and textures of Mexican food. The spiced and blitzed kidney and black beans give all the flavours of a good chilli and refried beans. They also help restore carbohydrate stores post-workout and also dish out a hefty protein hit to help repair that post-run muscle damage. The beans also give the soup a wonderfully creamy texture without the need for any dairy. Both kidney and black beans are also a good source of iron, copper, manganese, folate and fibre.
If (like me) you have problems getting black beans locally, you can get them from Amazon (affiliate link) here.
The multi-coloured veg in the Mexican bean soup provide a whole host of phytonutrients along with texture, crunch and colour, while the lime zest and juice add to the Vitamin C content of the tomatoes and also give it a bit of a zing to complement the spices. Limes also add to the antioxidant and bioflavonoid contents of the dish. You can read more on the health benefits of limes and suggested other uses here.
Give this chilled Mexican bean soup a go on a hot day and let me know what you think!
Happy eating and running! π

Chilled Mexican Bean Soup
A spicy way to keep your cool during the summer, while getting your carb, protein and other nutritional and hydration needs.
Ingredients
- 400 g tinned kidney beans
- 400 g tinned black beans
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 500 g passata
- 500 ml vegetable stock or more to get required consistency
- 1 lime - juice and zest
- 1 red pepper (capsicum)
- 200 g tinned corn
- 2 spring onions (scallions)
- tabasco sauce to taste
- 1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaf
- ice cubes to serve
Instructions
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Drain and rinse the kidney and black beans.
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Place beans, chilli powder, cumin, passata and stock into a blender and blend until smooth.
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Seed and dice the red pepper (capsicum). Chop the spring onions (scallions) and coriander leaf (cilantro). Drain the tinned sweetcorn. Finely grate the lime zest and squeeze the juice.
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Pour the bean mixture into a large bowl. Add the lime juice and zest, red pepper (capsicum), spring onions (scallions), corn and Tabasco sauce.
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Place in the fridge to chill.
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Serve garnished with the coriander (cilantro), lime zest and an ice cube or two.
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