Tortilla Soup

I am a huge fan of Tortilla Soup. Tortilla soup topped with corn tortilla strips and a little bit of sour cream is soul satisfying. This is a tomato based soup of Mexican origin which usually has chicken stock cooked with tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. But I have made a vegetarian version and tweaked it a bit to satisfy the vegetarian taste buds.

Okay! Now I will tell y’all what inspired me to prepare this soup. I love the Mexican Gumbo from Qdoba, which is a fast food restaurant in the United States serving Mexican style cuisine. The foundation of this dish is Tortilla Soup, Cilantro Rice and Beans. My friend usually gets the Tortilla Soup alone and that’s how I got to taste this soup once and I loved it. I used to make it now and then but never got a chance to take a picture for posting the recipe. Either it gets over fast or bad lighting or blame it on me…since I am lazy sometimes…;)

Here is the recipe for this tasty soup which tastes almost like the Qdoba soup. Also check my recipe for vegetarian Mexican Gumbo, another favorite of mine.

Preparation time: 2 hours (4 hours in crock pot)

No. of servings: 7 to 8

Spice level: 3.5 out of 5

Method of Preparation:

Stove Top Method:

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a wide pan and saute onions till they are translucent along with a little salt.
2. Remove from heat and grind it with garlic and tomatoes.
3. Heat a tsp of oil in a sauce pan and add the ground mixture along with bell peppers. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add then mint, cilantro, parsley, vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
5. Add finely chopped jalapenos with seeds, garlic powder, liquid aminos, chili powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, red pepper flakes, dry onions and ground pepper.
6. After a couple of minutes, add lime juice and simmer the heat and let it cook on stove top for about an hour and half over low heat.
7. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and corn tortilla strips. You can avoid these if you want a healthy soup

1. Follow step 1 and 2 from stove top method.
2. Heat a tsp of oil in the pot over high heat and add the ground mixture along with bell peppers.
3. After 5 minutes add the rest of the ingredients and let it cook on high heat until it start bubbling or boiling.
4. Change to setting to low and cook for 3 hours.
5. Remember that crock pot should always be half full and should not be above the rim while cooking. If it is very less, it may not cook properly.
6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and corn tortilla strips. You can avoid these if you want a healthy soup.