Step 1

Soak the dried fava beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours so they soften. Drain and rinse them.

Step 2

Seed and cut the pasilla chiles, dice all the vegetables, and grab out the spices and vegetable stock.

Step 3

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium. Add in the pieces of pasilla chiles and fry for 45-60 seconds until fragrant. Remove them from the pot and set aside.

Step 4

To the same pot, add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, and serranos. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until quite fragrant. Add in the diced tomatoes, cumin, and oregano, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 5

Add in the 12 cups of vegetable stock, fava beans, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender.

Step 6

Optional: With a few minutes of cook time remaining, remove ~3-4 ladles full of soup and blend until smooth. Add the mixture back to the pot.

Step 7

Add in ¾ of the fried pasilla chiles and freshly chopped cilantro. Taste the soup and season it with salt and pepper to your liking.

Step 8

Serve immediately with a garnish of reserved pasilla chiles, chopped cilantro, avocado cubes, vegan cheese of choice, etc. Happy eating!