Tortilla Soup
I may or may not make this soup as an excuse to load on a gazillion toppings. The fresh cilantro, crunchy tortilla chips, melty cheese….at what point does this not become soup anymore? Maybe next time, I’ll just put a whole taco on top. Or dunk my taco into the soup. I mean, it works for grilled cheese and tomato soup lovers so it only makes sense.
The soup has a nice spicy flavor, and its very filling because of the chicken and the beans. I use pureed roasted onion and fire roasted tomatoes to thicken the broth. The sour cream and corn tortilla strips at the end also thicken it bringing all of the flavors together. It requires little prep work other than a bit of chopping ingredients so you can still pull it together during the week. And the leftovers store well in the refrigerator to use for the next day or so.
Tortilla Soup Recipe
Makes about 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet onions, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup canned or frozen corn
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
- Rotisserie chicken, both breasts and dark meat (I use the rotisserie chicken from the prepared foods section of the grocery store.)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder (use up to 2 tsp if you like it spicy)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 (15-ounce) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
Toppings
- 6 -8 corn tortilla shells
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 2-3 avocados
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 limes
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Peel and quarter one of the onions and add to a foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer, dividing up the onions pieces as you lay them flat. Drizzle the onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.
- Prepare ingredients.
- Chop both the red bell pepper and green bell pepper into bite size pieces.
- If using canned corn, open and rinse. If using frozen corn, defrost in the microwave.
- Dice the second onion.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Open the cans of beans and rinse.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones and chop into bite size pieces. (Adjust the amount of meat to your taste.) (Save the bones to make a broth for later.)
- In a large dutch oven or pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the diced onion until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic. Stir and continue to cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add the seasoning to the pot – 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder (add more if you like it spicy), 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the can of tomatoes with the green chilies and enchilada sauce.
- Add the can of fire roasted tomatoes to a food processor or blender and pulse until the chunks are gone and the texture becomes saucy. Add to the pot.
- Remove the onions from the oven and run through the food processor or blender until smooth. Add to the pot.
- Add 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, the chicken, corn, and beans to the pot.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes. Taste for seasoning, add additional salt as needed.
Prepare the toppings
- Thinly slice 2 jalapenos.
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and run a knife lengthwise and crosswise to create cubes. Scoop the cubes out with a spoon.
- Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems and roughly chop.
- Cut the limes into quarters.
- Stack the tortilla shells and cut them into narrow strips.
- Peel and finely chop the red onion.
- Shred the cheddar cheese into about 1 cup.
12. Divide the soup into individuals bowls and serve with the toppings – tortilla strips, cheese, avocado, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, sour cream and squeeze of lime juice. The corn tortilla strips and sour cream will thicken the soup.
You can adjust the ingredients to be vegetarian by skipping the chicken and adding an additional can of beans, double the amount of bell peppers, and substitute vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
I like to make a large batch of this soup to eat it over the course of a few days. When I do that, I reduce the amount of toppings and only prepare for the amount I’m going to eat right away. That way the toppings are fresh when I reheat a bowl of the soup.
Home
