Cheesy Rice and Black Bean Enchilada Soup

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Rice and Black Bean enchilada soup is hearty, warm, and comforting dish! Loaded with two kinds of beans, filling brown rice, veggies, all in an enchilada-style broth. It’s easy, and you can make it on the stovetop or instant pot!

lime being squeezed on a bowl of cheesy black bean enchilada soup

Bean and rice enchilada soup is a combination of all of my favorite things.

It’s one of my favorite new recipes to make in the late summer, into fall and all the way into early spring.

You can use all black beans or all pinto beans for this recipe. There’s brown rice already in the mix and cheese, veggies, and basically, everything else you love to find in a good cheese enchilada – minus the meat.

Bean and rice enchilada soup is completely meatless, and if you think you won’t like it, let me tell you, my meat-loving husband wasn’t expecting to either. But with all those flavors, corn, beans, rice, and cheese, you really don’t even end up needing the meat at all. It’s warm and filling; perfect for the fall season topped with diced avocado and fresh cilantro.

spoon filled with soup being lifted from bowl

What do you need to make black bean enchilada soup:

Onions: we’ll saute the diced yellow onion in a few glugs of olive oil as the base of this soup then add the other ingredients.
Peppers: we’re using two kinds of peppers for this recipe: poblano pepper and jalapeño. If you can’t find poblano peppers at the store, feel free to replace it with a green or red bell pepper instead. You could also toss in a can of diced green chiles if you happen to have some in the pantry.
Broth: you can use vegetable broth if you follow a vegetarian diet, or use chicken broth here if you don’t. Low sodium works best if you would like to control the amount of salt in your recipes
Enchilada sauce: I prefer to use homemade red enchilada sauce if time permits. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use a can of store-bought enchilada sauce. Make sure your enchilada sauce is gluten-free if that is something that’s important for your dietary needs.
Diced tomatoes: diced tomatoes add another bunch of veggies to bulk up this soup. Fire-roasted works best if you have those on hand.
Beans: you can use just about any kind of beans you like. I like to do a 50:50 split of black beans and pinto beans. Beans are a great source of fiber!
Brown rice: you’ll need dry brown rice for this recipe. The rice is used to make this soup heartier and more filling. I’ve only tested the recipe with brown rice, and timings will be different if you decide to use white rice instead.
Corn: I used frozen corn for this recipe, but you could also toss in canned corn once it’s drained
Seasonings: the seasonings are what make this black bean enchilada soup, in my opinion! You’ll need salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground cumin, and a hint of cayenne. Cayenne pepper is optional, and you can leave it out if you’d like to make this milder. You can also use mild chili powder if you prefer.
Shredded cheese: for the cheese, I suggest using pepper jack or cheddar cheese. If you can shred the cheese yourself, it works best as it melts into the soup much easier. Pre shredded cheese from the store is coated in starches used to keep the cheese from caking. These starches make it difficult for the cheese to melt into a broth base properly.
Garnishes: finally top the soup with tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, and fresh lime juice or wedge. They are great to top your bowls with!

chopped peppers and onions in metal bowl

ladle full of soup being lifted from the instant pot

How to make vegetarian enchilada soup in the instant pot:

Saute. Hit the saute button in the instant pot and saute the onions and other vegetables for a few minutes until the peppers soften and the onions are translucent.
Pressure cook. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the cheese) to the instant pot and cover and then cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release. Remove the cover and stir to combine.
Stir in the cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered, so the cheese melts. Stir to combine. Then serve in bowls topped with chopped cilantro, and with tortilla chips, sour cream, and lime wedges on the side.

How to make the soup on the stovetop:

Saute. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the peppers and onions and cook for a few minutes until the peppers soften.
Simmer. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer. When the soup recipe reaches a boil, lower the heat to low and allow the rice to cook all the way through. This will take anywhere from 25-30 minutes.) Test for doneness, you might need to let the rice for an additional 5 minutes or so if it’s not done. You may also need more broth to add in later if the soup gets too thick. Turn the stove off and add in the cheese.
Stir in the cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered, so the cheese melts. Stir to make sure it’s nicely combined. Then serve in bowls topped with chopped cilantro, and with tortilla chips, sour cream, and lime wedges on the side.

bowls of prepared black bean soup topped with cilantro, cheese, and corn chips on white marble

FAQs for bean and rice enchilada soup:

Can I add protein to the enchilada soup, if so what do you suggest?

Yes, you can add in cooked and crumbled ground meat if you’d like. If you decide to do so, I suggest cooking the ground beef in the pot first, then cooking the onions and peppers in the same pot. Depending on the fat content of your ground beef, you may not need to add any oil at all. Or you can drain the grease, add oil and cook the peppers and onions then.

Do I have to add the cheese?

No! You don’t. You can serve the soup straight out of the pot without adding cheese to the soup. It can also be served topped with cheese if you’d like instead of stirring it in!

Other vegetarian soups to try:

spoon resting in bowl of prepared enchilada soup

Yield: serves 5-6