Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup

A hearty bean and veggie soup featuring freshly shucked sweet corn, red potatoes, taco seasonings, fresh avocado, and cilantro.

Summer is awesome for many reasons. But I’d like to highlight one of my favorites – fresh garden produce. Summertime fruits and vegetables are bursting with color and flavor. I love eating the rainbow; however, one of the colors I sometimes eat less of is yellow.

I eat lots of green – spinach, peppers, kale, cucumbers, zucchini, and so on. An array of oranges and yellows – bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, mango…. And lots of reds and purples – bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, cherries, grapes, beets, and more.

I suppose when I look at a plate full of white and yellow foods, I feel like I’m not fueling my body wisely since it doesn’t contain all of the colors of the rainbow. As an example, I love eating mashed potatoes and corn. Though both are absolutely delicious and ultimate comfort food, the plate doesn’t have an array of vibrant colors.

However, the more I learn about plants and nutrients, the more I understand that this is not necessarily true. In my humble opinion, fresh sweet corn in the summer has a different color composition than corn in any other form (canned or frozen). Fresh sweet corn appears to be bursting with living yellow and white hues that I just don’t see in other yellow foods.

I think fresh corn is absolutely stunning.

Besides its natural beauty, sweet corn is crisp, juicy, succulent, flavorful, sweet, and oh so satisfying.

And yet, corn is a “carb”; and carbs are labeled as unhealthy contraband in modern health circles as they are professed to contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. I used to believe this myth and followed a paleo diet for many years. And yet, I craved bread, potatoes, and corn a lot. When I cheated and ate them, I felt so satisfied.

That’s when I figured that Mother Nature was just out to get me. Why else would I crave these evil yet delicious foods that are so readily available in nature for our consumption and enjoyment?

It turns out that carbs aren’t so bad after all. And fresh sweet corn, in particular, has many healthy attributes, including healthy carbohydrates, plant-powered protein, fiber, and nutrients. One ear of corn contains about 100 calories, 3 grams of gut-friendly fiber which gives me that satiety I love, and is comprised of resistant starch, which takes longer to digest. (Eating Well)

The mostly insoluble fiber ensures a healthy digestive tract and helps keep things moving well, too. Generally speaking, this essentially means that fresh sweet corn is a lower calorie food that makes me feel fuller so I eat less because I feel much more satisfied. Win!

And it gets better. One ear of corn only contains 6 grams of natural sugar. According to Eating Well, that is half the natural sugar found in bananas and one-third the sugar in an apple. And because of the fiber and natural source of the sucrose, it is not considered a high glycemic food, but a low to medium ranked food. (Healthline)

But more importantly, sweet corn boasts many healthful nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin – phytochemicals that promote healthy vision. But it also contains ample B vitamins including pantothenic acid (B5) and B6, iron, folate, niacin and potassium. (Eating Well; Healthline)

And even crazier news! Like tomatoes, when sweet corn is cooked, some of these healthy benefits soar. Researchers at Cornell found that antioxidant activity and ferulic acid increases in cooked corn. Ferulic acid is a polyphenol antioxidants that reportedly helps combat cancer. (Eating Well)  And corn contains higher amounts of this powerful antioxidant than other cereal grains like wheat, oats, and rice. (Healthline) Win-win!

So what’s the down side? There are only two things that I found. Some believe that the higher sugar and starch content of corn can spike blood sugar levels; and like most cereal grains, corn contains phytic acid which can impair the absorption of dietary minerals, such as iron and zinc. (Healthline). By eating a healthy and balanced diet, neither of these two concerns should pose problems for most individuals.

So let’s talk about this delightful Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup. First, it’s obviously not a taco. However, the spices and flavors are most often associated with tacos and Mexican cuisine – so there’s that. But honestly, I just like the way it sounds and think it describes the flavor composition of this tasty sweet corn and potato soup with cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro, and so on.

This soup tastes like a wholesome bowl of appetizing tacos minus the taco shells. And if you’re feeling it, you can top your soup with crushed tortillas or serve your soup with corn tortillas, as I have done. Crunchy corn tortillas immediately create contrasting textures in every bite!

This super simple Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup consists of delicious pinto beans, red potatoes, and fresh sweet corn shucked from the ear. Plus, it’s filled to the brim with a myriad of colors from the rainbow – so there’s that, too. With red and green bell peppers, a green jalapeño, a purple onion, garlic, and green cilantro, it’s not just bursting with color, it’s bursting with texture, and flavor, too. My three amigos – color, texture, and flavor. Swoon.

When serving this soup, I like garnishing each bowl with little planks of sweet corn, avocado, and cilantro. If you like the flavor of smoked paprika, it kicks your presentation up another notch. The yellow, red, and green complement each bowl so perfectly. It’s almost as if this soup is smiling. Okay, maybe the soup isn’t smiling; but it looks incredibly delicious.

This soup is made super simple in an Instant Pot. I typically soak and cook the beans on the weekend – weekend meal prep increases my efficiency and reduces my stress for weeknight cooking. This includes soaking and cooking the beans; but can also include chopping the vegetables, though I wouldn’t cut the cilantro and corn more than 1 or 2 days in advance. And I don’t recommend cutting the avocado until just before serving.

If you’re really short on time, this soup can easily be made a couple of days before you want to eat it. Then, you just need to reheat it on the stove, in the microwave, or in the Instant Pot. You can also freeze this soup or leftover soup in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags and thaw when you want to enjoy it again. The below photo shows a bowl of reheated leftover soup with crushed tortilla strips on top. Freaky fast food.

Best of all, this Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup captures the essence of summer and tastes incredible.

I hope you enjoy this Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup as much as we do.  Please leave a comment, rate it, and tag a picture #pebblesandtoast on Instagram! I’d love to see your results. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked in water overnight* (or 2 cans)

• 1 purple onion, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 4-5 red potatoes, chopped

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp coriander

• 2 cups plant milk
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
• 3 cups shucked corn*
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped 
• salt to taste (optional)
• toppings, as desired (cubed avocado, shucked corn planks, chopped cilantro, smoked paprika)

Pinto Beans Instructions

1. Rinse soaked pinto beans. 
2. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes, allow to release pressure naturally.
3. Rinse with cool water and drain.  Set aside.

Sweet Corn and Potato Taco Soup Instructions

1. Using the sauté feature on the Instant Pot, sauté the onions, mushrooms, peppers, and jalapeno for 4-5 minutes.  Add minced garlic and sauté until onions are until translucent, another 1-2 minutes.
2. Add potatoes, beans, broth, milk, and spices.

1. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes, allow to release pressure naturally, about 20 minutes.
2. Add sweet corn, cilantro, and lime juice; gently stir to combine.

1. Garnish with corn, avocado, lime juice, smoked paprika, and corn tortillas, as desired.

Notes

* Feel free to use 2 cans of pinto beans. Simply rinse the beans before adding to the Instant Pot. You can also use any other kind of bean, including black beans, kidney beans, or red beans. Use whatever you have. They add protein and fiber.

** 4 ears of corn provided approximately 3 cups shucked sweet corn.  Feel free to use frozen corn as well.

I like using different colors of vegetables – feel free to use any colors or types of onions and bell peppers in this soup. They all taste delicious.