Spicy Pork and Refried Bean Soup

There are hundreds of weeknights in a year. That’s a lot of dinner! Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin is here to help. In her series Speedy Does It, she shares whoa-worthy meals you can get on the table like *snaps fingers* that.

Refried beans in soup? Believe us, it’s a trick you’ll want to return to. Stirring a can (we love the Amy’s Kitchen brand) into a pot of hot broth allows the broken-down beans to all but disappear, creating a lusciously thickened base for ground pork flavored with smoky chipotle chiles in adobo. Feel free to go wild with toppings here; anything fit for a bowl of chili would work. Radishes for crunch and cilantro for freshness are a great place to start, but sliced avocado, Cotija cheese, a swirl of sour cream, and/or a handful of corn chips would not be out of place.

Cook’s Note: Take note as to the heat level of your chipotles in adobo; some brands are spicier than others, so you can adjust the number of chiles to add according to your preferences.