Tortilla Soup
This delicious Tortilla Soup was part of our regular winter dinner rotation for many years. We first tasted this soup on our honeymoon in Belize, though it’s generally considered a Mexican recipe. We just rediscovered this recipe after a long hiatus. I guess we associated it with chicken and stopped making it when we became Vegetarian (at home).
This is a Vegetarian version of Tortilla Soup. Nothing drastic. I simply omit the chicken in favour of black beans. The beans provide the filling protein and also mix up the colour. Many recipes include beans along with chicken anyway.
Admittedly there are a lot of ingredients. The layering of the soup and toppings is what makes it so great. Fortunately many of the ingredients come from a can and are pantry staples in this house. It’s definitely a 30 minute meal which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner. Especially satisfying on a cold, dark, November evening!
I use Vegetable stock made from Bouillon for the soup base. Unfortunately, while make this soup this week I read the ingredients list for the Knorr brand bouillon I normally use and found it contains palm oil. Boo! Now I have to find another brand. Have a brand you like that’s palm oil free? Leave me a recommendation in the comments!
As always, I suggest toasting and grinding your own cumin. The flavour is very different than store bought ground cumin which won’t give you the same depth of flavour.
The tortillas are a must as far as toppings. That’s what makes it Tortilla Soup after all. Beyond that, there are no other rules in my book. I like avocado, sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. I have at least two friends who would say the cilantro makes the whole dish taste like soap 😉 And I know a lot of versions of the recipe call for a sprinkle of cheese (my guys get lots of cheese in other meals, so I leave it off!)
Oh wait, one more rule. You absolutely must squeeze a lime over top at the end before you serve. Trust me, it takes it to a whole new level!
Full disclosure, only one of my boys actually ate this soup. But the oldest devoured it! So I’m confident that once they’ve seen it a few more times the littler two will decide they love it too 🙂
Enjoy!
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