INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup dry pinto beans
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 (6ounce)can tomato paste
  • grated medium cheddar

DIRECTIONS

  1. About 5 hours before serving:
  2. Rinse beans. In a 4-quart dutch oven, or soup pot, over high heat, heat beans, water, salt and pepper to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour.
  3. Stir in oregano, onion and tomato paste; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until beans are very tender. Stir the pot once in awhile to make sure there are no beans sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  4. When beans are tender, remove the pot from the heat for an hour to cool down. This step aids in the pureeing of the mixture.
  5. When the soup is cooled down, puree in batches in a blender or cuisinart. Return to a pot to reheat.
  6. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, and serve
  7. with flour tortillas, or a crusty bread, for dipping.