Roasted Tomatillo, Black Bean & Pulled Jackfruit Soup
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links; more info here.
Inspired by the bold, bright flavors of Mรฉxico, this Roasted Tomatillo & Black Bean Soup with Pulled Jackfruit is what soup dreams are made of!
In this recipe, roasted tomatillos, jalapeรฑos, onions, garlic, and spices come together with black beans and spicy pulled jackfruit to create a soup that’s tangy, spicy, earthy, and 100% delicious.
Then, we throw on garnishes of fresh cilantro and radish, ripe avocado, sour cream, and crispy tortilla chips for extra color, crunch, and creaminess. (And to send this whole situation over the top! AKA: fun.)
Talk about the ultimate combination of flavors and textures, am I right?
I absolutely love this Roasted Tomatillo, Black Bean & Pulled Jackfruit Soup. And because it’s such a crowd-pleasure among my friends, I know you’re going to love it too!
Why you’ll love this Vegan Tomatillo, Black Bean, and Jackfruit Soup:
- It’s vegetarian/vegan. Similar traditional recipes would use shredded chicken, but instead, we’re sautรฉing up some spicy pulled jackfruit.
- It’s healthy. This recipe is jam-packed with whole foods and protein. It is oh-so nourishing – for the body and soul!
- It’s perfect for meal prep. Feel free to double the recipe and eat this soup throughout the week. It gets better as it sits in the fridge!
- It’s fun to eat. There are so many interesting textures going on, and you’re going to love scooping this soup up onto crispy tortilla chips.
- It’s Mexican-inspired. Need I say more? Who doesn’t love Mexican food? And tomatillos!
- It’s fast and easy to make. There are a few steps to make this soup, but they’re simple as can be.
The ingredients
The main ingredients you need to make this soup are:
- Tomatillos (from a can)
- Black beans (from a can)
- Young jackfruit (from a can)
- Jalapeรฑos
- Onions
- Garlic
- Ground spices: Cumin, coriander, chili, Ceylon cinnamon
- Agave syrup
- Vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
What are tomatillos?
Tomatillos are also known as Mexican husk tomatoes or Mexican green tomatoes, but let’s get one thing straight: they are not tomatoes.
Tomatillos look like small, bright green, unripe tomatoes that are enveloped in a dry husk. They are a fruit and a member of the nightshade family.
Tomatillos are acidic and dense, they have lots of tiny seeds and a distinctly fresh, tangy, sweet flavor. When you cook tomatillos, they lose a bit of their bright green color, but their fruity sweetness intensifies.
Where can you buy tomatillos?
In the USA, you can find fresh tomatillos at most grocery stores and markets – especially in places with large Mexican populations. Back home in California, tomatillos are abundant!
I’m currently based in Australia and I have never seen a fresh tomatillo for sale anywhere. If you have a gourmet grocer nearby, you may be able to find canned tomatillos. Otherwise, buy them online (and stock up!). I promise you’re going to love their sweet, tangy flavor!
Buy tomatillos on Amazon:
This soup is perfect on its own, but who doesn’t love a little garnish?
I recommend using these garnishes and accompaniments:
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Sour cream (vegan or regular)
- Radishes
- Tortilla chips (for scooping!)
Shop the recipe:
How to make Roasted Tomatillo, Black Bean & Pulled Jackfruit Soup
To make this soup, you need about an hour and a few different pieces of equipment, but the soup itself comes together in a few simple steps!
Here’s what you do…
1. Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF or 200ยฐC. In a roasting pan (with high sides), combine the olive oil, tomatillos, jalapeรฑos, onions, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper. Roast uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
2. In the meantime, mix together the jackfruit, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper. Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and sautรฉ the jackfruit until it’s nicely browned, hopefully with a few charred bits too!
3. When veggies are finished roasting, pour the vegetable stock into the roasting pan and use a spatula to scrape out all of the browned bits and extra flavor from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the contents of the roasting pan into a blender and pulse it until there are no large chunks left. You’re looking for a semi-smooth broth, so small chunks of onion and tomatillos are okay!
5. Lastly, heat a Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Add in the soup from the blender, the sautรฉed jackfruit, the black beans, agave syrup, and the spices. Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Season with more salt, to taste, if necessary.
6. Serve in bowls. Top the soup off with fresh cilantro, avocado, thinly sliced radishes, a dollop of sour cream, and maybe some lime zest.
Enjoy the soup with crispy tortilla chips on the side for scooping!
Vegetarian Roasted Tomatillo & Black Bean Soup with Pulled Jackfruit
I hope you love this Roasted Tomatillo, Black Bean & Pulled Jackfruit soup!
It’s packed with tangy and spicy flavors, the beans and jackfruit add interesting texture, and the garnishes bring creaminess, crunch, and color. So delicious!
Not to mention, itโs fun to eat โ alternating between spoonfuls and scoopfuls on tortilla chips!
I just made another pot of this soup yesterday, and I think I’m going to serve myself up a big bowl right now! Why don’t you join me?
PrintRoasted Tomatillo, Black Bean & Pulled Jackfruit Soup
Inspired by the bold, bright flavors of Mรฉxico, this Roasted Tomatillo & Black Bean Soup with Pulled Jackfruit is what soup dreams are made of! It’s tangy, spicy, earthy, and 100% delicious. Plus, it’s vegan/vegetarian!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 55
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Roasting, Sautรฉing, Pulsing, Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
FOR THE ROASTED VEGGIES:
- A drizzle of olive oil
- 1 large can (28 oz or 800g) whole tomatillos
- 2 jalapeรฑos, seeds and membranes removed, chopped
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, whole, skins left on
- 1/2 tsp of each: ground cumin, coriander, and Ceylon cinnamon
- A sprinkle of salt and freshly cracked pepper
FOR THE PULLED JACKFRUIT:
- 1 can (14 oz or 400g) young jackfruit, rinsed, liquid squeezed out, shredded
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp of each: ground cumin, coriander, Ceylon cinnamon, chili powder, freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
FOR THE SOUP:
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cans (14 oz or 400g) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp agave syrup (or another sweetener)
- 1/4 tsp of each: ground coriander, Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of each: ground cumin and black pepper
- 1/3 tsp chili powder
TOPPINGS:
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Fresh avocado, sliced or diced
- Fresh radish, thinly sliced
- Sour cream (regular or vegan)
- Tortilla chips (for scooping!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF or 200ยฐC. In a roasting pan (with high sides), combine the olive oil, tomatillos, jalapeรฑos, onions, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper. Spread everything across the pan into one even, spaced-out layer. Roast uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until the vegetables are browned and they have released their juices.
- In the meantime, prep the jackfruit. Rinse off the brine from the can, then with your hands, squeeze out all of the liquid and then pull it apart into little shreds. In a bowl, mix together the pulled jackfruit, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- On the stove, heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Then heat the olive oil. Spread the jackfruit mixture into the pan in one layer. Allow it to brown on one side for about 3 minutes before flipping it. Sautรฉ the jackfruit for a further 5-7 minutes until it becomes slightly dry and browned. A little bit of charring here is great!
- Carefully remove the skin from the roasted garlic. Pour the vegetable stock into the roasting pan and use a spatula to scrape up all of the extra brown bits and flavor from the bottom of the pan.ย
- Pour the contents of the roasting pan into a blender and pulse it until there are no large chunks left. You are looking for a semi-smooth broth – small chunks of onion and tomatillos are fine!
- On the stove, heat a Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Add in the broth from the blender, jackfruit, black beans, agave syrup, and spices. Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer it with the lid on for 15 minutes. Season with more salt, to taste, if necessary.
- Serve hot, in bowls. Top with fresh cilantro, ripe avocado, sliced radish, a dollop of sour cream, and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
I had some friends over last night and made this dish to wow them.. and WOW… so good! It was the first dish to disappear from the shared plates on the table. This will be a feature on my Thanksgiving table this year :) Thanks Maddy.
Awesome! So glad you and your friends loved this soup, Josh!
I loved this soup. I used fresh tomatillos because they have them at the Whole Foods by me. I just peeled off the husks and roasted them for about 40 min. Followed the instructions start to finish. Delicious!
Love to hear this, Siera! Thank you for leaving a review :)
Thanks for this!! With all of the toppings (especially sour cream and avo), this is heaven in a bowl. Doubling it next time for leftovers.
Mmmm now I want to make another batch of this soup! :) Thanks for your review!
So delicious. Loved all the textures and flavor! Will make again and maybe next time Iโll add corn too, I think that would be a great add.
Oh yes, some corn in there would be delicious. If you try this, let us know how it goes :)
I am going to replace black beans for shredded cabbage, as I am watching carbs. It’s usually used as a garnish for posole, (mexican soup).
Sounds great! Shredded, roasted cabbage would be fantastic in this as well, if you wanted to bulk out the soup a bit more. Just use a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and roast until lightly browned. This would add another layer of flavor and texture – and you could still put some on top as a garnish for crunch and freshness :)
I’m not vegan, so I made mine with pork! DELICIOUS!