Mexican · lunch, dinner
Sopa de Habas (Mexican Fava Bean and Cactus Soup)
Sopa de habas con nopales
Video by Chef Rogelio Lara on YouTube, in Spanish · Open on YouTube
- Vegan
- Gluten-free ingredients
- Nut-free
Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.
A vegan bean soup with 9 g fibre, 12 g plant protein and 23 g net carbs a serve from dried fava beans, cactus paddles and tomato, cooked in just 2 tbsp olive oil. Rich in folate and magnesium.
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Ingredients 11
Method
The cook speaks Spanish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.
- Soak the dried fava beans in plenty of water for about 10 hours or overnight, then drain. 0:16
- Bring 2½ litres of water to the boil, add the beans and simmer for about an hour, stirring now and then, until they are so soft they start to fall apart. 2:37
- Meanwhile boil the nopales in 1 litre of water with the salt, a tomatillo husk, a chunk of onion, a garlic clove and a few coriander sprigs for about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and discard the husk and aromatics. 3:15
- For the sofrito, heat the oil over medium-low heat and fry the onion until soft, then the garlic for a minute. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf, turn up the heat and cook about 6 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. 4:29
- When the beans have cooked about 50 minutes and look thick, stir in ½ litre of hot water and simmer 10 minutes more. 6:27
- Stir in the tomato sofrito, the nopales and the coriander, then salt little by little to taste. Simmer 10 minutes more, until as thick as you like. 7:12
- Serve hot as a starter or a light meal. 8:48
Tip. Serves about 8 (our estimate for 500 g dried beans). Peeled, split habas cook fastest and need no skinning. The chef serves it with salty crackers; a green salad keeps it lighter. Freezes well.
The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.
One serve gives you 1 of 8
Where the energy comes from one serve
- Net carbs 53%
- Protein 27%
- Fat 20%
For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here
Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more
Folate High41%
162 µg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (92%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.
Magnesium High20%
85 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (73%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.
Zinc Source15%
1.7 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (86%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.
Iron Source14%
2.6 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (83%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.
Potassium Source13%
620 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (62%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.
Vitamin C Source13%
12 mg a serve, mostly from tomatoes (72%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.
Vitamin K Source13%
16 µg a serve, mostly from tomatoes (31%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.
Vitamin B6 Source11%
0.2 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (52%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.
Show the other 7
Calcium9%
115 mg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (45%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.
Selenium7%
4.1 µg a serve, mostly from dried fava beans (91%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.
Vitamin E6%
0.9 mg a serve, mostly from olive oil (55%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.
Vitamin A4%
38 µg a serve, mostly from tomatoes (69%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
Omega-33%
0 g a serve, mostly from olive oil (62%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.
Vitamin D0%
0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.
Vitamin B120%
0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.
Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works
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Recipe and video by Chef Rogelio Lara; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.