Southwestern Tortilla Soup
Kind of like a chili, but maybe a little more brothy and no tomatoes. Full of the scent of cumin, chili powder and garlic, this soup is meant for watching a football game, hosting a tailgate, or anytime you’d like a little bit of spice in your life. This is definitely one of those ‘make it your own’ soups, so please feel free to add whatever strikes your fancy. The possibilities are endless! And then we shall add some crisped tortilla strips to top the whole thing off in fine style. That is, if you don’t sneak them all before soup is hot!
Ingredients
- FOR THE SOUP
- Abut 10 cups broth – use all vegetable broth canned or homemade, or half vegetable and half chicken broth for a richer taste. Your call.
- 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 3 peppers medium diced (I used red, yellow, and orange)
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers seeded and minced (optional)
- About 4-6 whole green chilies medium diced
- 1 1/2 white or yellow onions medium diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled, diced into ½ inch dice, tossed with canola oil and salt, and roasted at 350 degrees until soft, about 30 minutes.
- 2 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch pieces
- Chili Powder to taste
- Ground Cumin to taste
- Salt pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste
- FOR THE TORTILLA STRIPS
- 12 corn tortillas
- Canola oil
- Salt
Instructions
- FOR THE SOUP
- Salute the onion in a large Dutch oven until soft and beginning to caramelize.
- Add red, yellow, orange and jalapeño peppers. Salute for a couple of minutes, then add enough broth to cover. Simmer until softened.
- Add black beans, frozen corn, green chilies, and sweet potatoes.
- Add chili powder, cumin, and other seasonings.
- Bring to a low boil, and add the cut up corn tortillas. Reduce to simmer and allow to cook until soup is thickened and tortillas have melted into the soup.
- Continue simmering until desired thickness. Serve with Tortilla Strips.
- FOR THE TORTILLA STRIPS
- Brush tortillas lightly with oiL. Sprinkle with salt.
- Stack the tortillas on top of each other, and cut into 1/4 inch strips.
- Place on a baking sheet and toast in a 350-degree oven until crisp – about 15-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Tortilla strips will get crispier as they cool.
- Serve on top of Soup, or on the side if you prefer.