Stoup? Stoup is my greatest dieting weapon. Take a tasty stew, chili, or other tasty dish with lots of sauce, and increase the amount of water and or tomatoes until it’s thicker than a soup, but no longer a stew. The word ‘stoup’ is strictly a Rachel Ray-ism but I’d been making them long before I heard the terminology. Stoup is filling because of all the water content and lower in calories than a regular meal, but still packs a punch with the taste. I stoup-ify (sorry I couldn’t resist) with bolognaise sauce, chili con carne, tuna and tomato pasta sauce, amongst others.
This recipe makes a great post-christmas festivities lunch. Warming for those of you in chilly climes, low in calories, and won’t leave you wanting to snack that afternoon. It’s also easy to make!
Tomato and Bean Mexican Stoup
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion
2 garlic cloves
6 mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
300ml vegetable stock
350ml passata
200g cherry tomatoes
400g tin black beans, drained
1 tsp sugar
1 lime
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
1/2 avocado
salt and pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Add all but a tablespoon of the diced onion. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, mushrooms, chilli and cumin and fry for another minute.
Add the stock, passata, whole cherry tomatoes, beans, and sugar. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Season, then stir through the juice of the lime and most of the coriander.
Serve in bowls and garnish with avocado, onion and coriander.