Tortilla Soup

Cookbook Category: Soups & Stews, Tex-Mex

Like any soup, tortilla soup tastes best when made with fresh ingredients. Serve tortilla soup before a meal or as a main course.

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 corn tortillas, torn into spoon-sized pieces
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, puréed
3 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled and puréed
1/4 cup canned tomato purée
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Garnishes:

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 ripe Haas avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
crispy tortilla chips, cut into strips like noodles

The onion and tomato may be puréed together in your blender or food processor.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Sauté the tortilla pieces with the garlic until tortillas soften. Add the puréed onion and tomato and bring to a boil. Add the canned tomato purée, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Check seasonings, and add salt and pepper as desired.

Serve hot, and garnish each serving with cooked chicken breast, avocado, cheddar cheese and crisp tortilla strips.