Homemade Tortilla Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips

We made vegetarian enchiladas this week and had a lot of chopped vegetables left over, so I decided to make this vegetarian tortilla soup for Mrs. WPF. This delicious Mexican soup is sweet from the corn and has heat from the chili powder and is savory from the cumin. It is full of black beans, and has a delicious clear tomatoey broth. I have also included directions for using chicken, so you can add that if you like. (I like to smoke a chicken over hickory and pecan wood, shred it, and use it for this recipe.)

Here’s how to do this. (The full recipe is at the end.)

In one tablespoon of olive oil, and for about five minutes until tender but not brown, sauce one cup of onions, 1/4 cup of green pepper and 1/4 cup of celery. I buy this frozen in something called Seasoning Blend. Check your grocer’s frozen vegetable section. (What a time saver!)

Add in 64 oz vegetable broth (or low salt chicken broth if using chicken meat).

Add in 6 cups of chopped vegetables. We used corn, zucchini, summer squash, and red pepper. If you don’t want to add these vegetables, add in three total cans of beans, perhaps pinto or red kidney beans (or both!) in addition to the below black beans.

Add

• a 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
• 7 oz can of green chiles

Add two 15 oz cans of tomatoes with green chiles, not drained, or one large can of whole peeled tomatoes in juice, and carefully crush the tomatoes into the pot with your hands.

Add:

• 2 T cumin
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T adobo powder (This is optional, but tasty. Adobo is a wonderful seasoning made of onion, garlic, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and cayenne pepper.)

Let it come up to the boil, then cover and turn down down to medium low and cook 20 minutes. If you are using chicken, add boiled and chopped (or shredded smoked) chicken when you turn down the pot to medium low.

Taste it with a clean spoon. Adjust the heat with hot pepper sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.

When you are ready to serve it, it’s time to make the tortilla strips. For each person you will need 1/2 of a small corn tortilla. Slice it into 1/4 inch slices.

Get your favorite cast iron pan nice and hot and add a half cup of oil.

Gather your pile…

… and drop one into the oil. If it bubbles furiously, the oil is ready.

So drop them all in and fry them on one side…

…then the other.

Pull them out to a paper towel and dust them with salt, straight away.

Serve in bowls with tortilla chips, home fried tortilla strips, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, and/or lime wedges. It’s all up to you!

Homemade Tortilla Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips

 

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This delicious Mexican soup is sweet from the corn and has heat from the chili powder and is savory from the cumin. It is full of black beans, and has a delicious clear tomatoey broth. I have also included directions for using chicken, so you can add that if you like.

Author: WooPigFoodie

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

• 1 C chopped onion
• ¼ C chopped green pepper
• ¼ C chopped celery
• 64 oz vegetable broth
• 6 cups chopped vegetables. We used corn, zucchini, summer squash and red pepper
• 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 7 oz can of green chiles
• Two 15 oz cans of tomatoes with green chiles, not drained
• 2 T cumin
• 1T chili powder
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T adobo powder (optional)
• If using chicken, 2-3 cups boiled and cubed (or smoked shredded) chicken
• corn tortillas (you need the equivalent of ½ of a small corn tortilla per bowl)
• oil
• salt

Instructions

1. In one tablespoon of olive oil, and for about five minutes until tender but not brown, sauce one cup of onions, ¼ cup of green pepper and ¼ cup of celery. I buy this frozen in something called Seasoning Blend. Check your grocer’s frozen vegetable section. What a time saver!
2. Add in 64 oz vegetable broth (or low salt chicken broth if using chicken meat).
3. Add in the 6 cups of chopped vegetables
4. Add a 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
5. Add in 7 oz can of green chiles
6. Add in two 15 oz cans of tomatoes with green chiles, not drained
7. Add 2 T cumin, 1 T chili powder, 1 T garlic powder and 1 T adobo powder (the adobo is optional)
8. Let it come up to the boil, then cover and turn down down to medium low and cook 20 minutes. If you are using chicken, add boiled and chopped (or shredded smoked) chicken when you turn down the pot to medium low. (I usually add 2-3 cups chicken.)
9. Taste it with a clean spoon. Adjust the heat with hot pepper sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Make the tortilla strips. Cut a corn tortilla into ¼ inch strips and fry in oil until brown, about one minute or less each side. Salt immediately upon removing from the oil.
11. Serve in bowls with tortilla chips, home fried tortilla strips, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, and/or lime wedges. It’s all up to you!

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