I love a hearty soup (it’s always soup season in my household) and this family friendly tortilla soup is one of my favorites! Fully of nutritious, wholesome ingredients. Just delicious!
In every Central American country tortilla soup is a big thing. Flavors vary per country, but the soup is always topped with strips of corn tortilla. Today I am sharing with you my family friendly tortilla soup.
What you’ll need:
How I make tortilla soup?
sauteing first
I start with sauteing onions, garlic and jalapeño in a soup pot until the onions are translucent. Then I add the spices and give it another stir. It will start to smell good almost immediately.
add all the ingredients to the soup pot
I add the chicken breast (veg. option explained below), corn, beans, bay leaves, broth and tomatoes to the pot (I use both fresh diced tomatoes and my already prepared oven roasted tomato sauce or sub a can of crushed tomatoes). I simmer the soup for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.
shred the chicken
I remove the chicken from the pot to shred. On a large cutting board I shred the chicken with a fork. Once all the chicken is shredded into small pieces I place all the chicken back in the soup again.
veggie tortilla soup
You can also go totally vegan and leave out the chicken. When I do so, I add extra vegetables; diced carrot, celery and bell pepper. After first sauteing onion, garlic and jalapeño, I add these vegetables to the soup pot and give them a quick stir. Continue as above and you will end up with vegan tortilla soup!
What to do for picky eaters?
So, I don’t know about your kids, but mine are still pretty picky eaters. I am always working on it, but spicy food is still hard. Chunky food (‘it has pieces in it mom!’) as well. So here is what I do for a pleasant meal without much whining; I add only 1 cup of (homemade) tomato sauce (if you use canned crushed tomatoes; 1/3 of a can) to the initial soup. When I take out the chicken to shred, I divide the soup in 2 batches; 1/3 and 2/3. To the 1/3 I add the remaining tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes and I blend the soup. Now there are 2 pots of soup. I divide the chicken over both soup pots (put a bit more in the spicy soup, because kids tend to eat less than adults do) and you are ready to serve your tortilla soup(s)!
Tortilla soup toppings:
The great thing about this soup is, it is very adjustable. I serve it with a bunch of toppings that everyone can choose from. Here is what I add:
- baked corn tortilla strips (for instructions how to bake them see recipe below)
- cubed avocado
- chopped cilantro leaves
- lime wedges
- grated cheese, vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
- vegan cream cheese or sour cream
- sliced jalapeño
- tomato salsa
I really hope you and your family like this tortilla soup. It is
full of flavor – wholesome – hearty – the ultimate comfort food – nutritious – & so delicious
This soup is so tasty! Add some toppings for more flavor and nutrition to it. Add some quinoa and it is a full meal! Or add quesadillas as a side and even some chips and guacamole.
Tortilla soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 jalapeño (seeded and diced)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 3 cups homemade tomato sauce* (or sub 1 can of crushed tomatoes)
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 250 gr beans (made from scratch*) (or sub 1 can red or black beans, drained)
- 1 can corn (drained)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups (homemade*) broth
- 1 double chicken breast (optional)
- 1/2 cup bell pepper (diced) (optional)
- 2 celery sticks (diced) (optional)
- 1/2 cup carrots (diced) (optional)
Toppings/ garnishing:
- 4 corn tortillas (cut into strips)
- 1/2 avocado (cubed) (optional)
- 2 limes (cut into wedges) (optional)
- 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese* (optional)
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (of choice) (optional) (sub vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast)
- 1 jalapeño (diced) (optional)
- 1/4 cup (homemade*) tomato salsa (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360F/180C.
- In a large soup pot heat up the olive oil. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño until onion is translucent and soft.
- If adding extra vegetables (carrot, bell pepper, celery) add them now and give them a quick stir.
- Add remaining ingredients (if you are making a kid friendly version only add 1 cup of tomato sauce) and simmer 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Leave chicken out if you want to keep your soup vegan.
- In the meantime lightly grease a baking tray and place the tortilla strips on it. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Flip the strips over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to catch any remaining oil. Set aside.
- Remove chicken breast from the soup pot and shred it. If you are making a picky eater's version, divide the soup (1/3 and 2/3). Add the rest of the tomato sauce to the 1/3 and blend this soup.Add the chicken back to the pot (2 pots if you divided the soup) and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Garnishing:
- Top each soup bowl with tortilla strips and any other toppings. I usually serve all the toppings on small platters so everyone can add whatever they like. Enjoy!
Notes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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