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tortilla soup

October 12th, 2009 · 14 Comments

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I remember where I get recipes the same way some people remember where they bought their clothes. A great recipe is like a best friend, so it’s fun to look back and remember the day you met.

I met this tortilla soup recipe on New Year’s Eve in 2004. I had graduated from a university with a decent reputation and was appalled to find myself in a dead end secretarial job. My boss was a jerk, which made things worse, and I was stuck in the office on New Year’s Eve with absolutely nothing to do but no permission to go home. I did what any good foodie would do – I whittled away the hours going through every recipe site I could find and printing off potential winners. This one from Cooking Light was one of those winners, and is probably the only good thing that came out of that job.

If you make this soup with vegetarian chicken broth (yes, such a thing exists :) ) and omit the chicken, then it’s completely vegetarian. I haven’t tried it with vegetable broth, but I’m sure it would be fine.

No matter which way you make it, I guarantee you’ll love it. I have doubled or tripled this and served it for baby showers and wedding showers. It’s a great make-ahead dish that people can tailor to their own tastes. But don’t wait for a special occasion! Just make a pot for dinner!

tortilla soup

soup

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tbsp minced seeded jalapeno pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbsp cumin
8 cups chicken broth

toppings

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about one pound)
1 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

First, prep those ingredients for the soup. This soup will be pureed at the end, so don’t worry too much about the size of the chunks.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1-inch tortilla pieces; cook 2 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic; saute 3 minutes.

Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Stir in cumin and broth. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until reduced to 8 cups.

stew simmering

At this point, if you’re not rushed for time, let your soup cool for a bit. It makes blending it so much easier if you do. Otherwise, the steam in the soup makes it “jump” out of your blender or food processor.

stew boiled down

Puree soup using an immersion blender in small batches in your food processor. Return pureed soup to stove and cook over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated.

While the soup is reheating, prep your toppings. For the tortilla crisps, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place tortilla pieces on a sheet pan so that they are not overlapping. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until browned and crispy.

Ladle hot soup into bowls. Add the toppings and eat immediately!

soup in bowl

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Tags: 60 min or less · chicken · light · vegetarian

14 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Barbie // Oct 12, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    This is the second time I have looked at your blog, Paula, what fun, just like Julie and Julia :-) …..and this soup looks delicious….and easy! Love TS, especially homemade, so will give this a try this week!

  • 2 bridget // Oct 12, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    yo paula!
    have you ever tried this without blending it? i like my tortilla soup more on the brothy side.
    just wondering,
    bridget

  • 3 LeAnn // Oct 12, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    Mmmmm, this soup is so good. We made it for bunko once, and all the ladies loved it. A nice spread of toppings make it a fun party meal. But I agree – it should be made for dinner any ol’ night!

  • 4 paulawong // Oct 12, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Try it the way it’s written first and then adjust to taste. :)

  • 5 barb // Oct 15, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    hey, my chicken tortilla soup recipe is from cooking light, too, and it’s a little different than this one. wonder if they tweaked it later? the chicken is in the broth, along with corn, and no blending. no tortillas in the actual soup, either. anyway, good stuff. i might give yours a try and see which one i like better…

  • 6 paulawong // Oct 15, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    I’d love to know which one you think is better! I LOVE this one, so it’s hard for me to imagine anything better. :)

  • 7 Shirley Madsen // Oct 19, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    My husband’s friend came by for lunch today and I served this soup. I prepared it early in the morning and after processing it in my food processor, I poured the soup in my crock pot and set it to warm. This way it didn’t matter when our guest arrived – the food would be at the perfect temperature. Both my husband and friend begged for seconds. In short, the soup was a humongous success.

  • 8 Liz-tastic // Oct 20, 2009 at 1:03 am

    I bet that this soup would be really good with some mushrooms . . .

  • 9 paulawong // Oct 20, 2009 at 1:05 am

    Um, I don’t think so. :) But you do what you want. You should try the avocado instead – still a veggie, and yet it complements the taste of the soup. :)

  • 10 Liz-tastic // Oct 20, 2009 at 1:09 am

    What about fudge sauce? Or chocolate chunks? I do like toppings.

  • 11 Kim Holla(nd) // Oct 21, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    SO GOOD! I, unlike Liz, had a roomie who told me what it was before I ate it, so I knew how to best prepare it! It was absolutely delicious! I had it the first time without all the toppings, and it was good, but adding the avocado, crunchies and cheese and WOWZA! Sooooooo yummy! Invited a friend to study for school and she loved it as well!

  • 12 paulawong // Oct 21, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    yeah, it’s ALL about the toppings. I even had it yesterday without chicken and was disappointed. I love the creaminess of the cheese, the crunch of the tortillas, the smoothness of the avocado, the chewiness of the chicken, the bite of the cilantro. It’s awesome. :)

  • 13 Elizabeth Daniel // Oct 21, 2009 at 8:09 pm

    I cannot wait to make this soup- it sounds YUMMY!

  • 14 Jennifer Peabody // Oct 3, 2010 at 8:53 am

    For last night’s clothing swap, how may times did you double this?? I think I will be making this for a cast of 40. It was soooo yummy!

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