Monday, May 21, 2012

Tortilla Soup

I'm not so sure "tortilla soup" is the proper name for this recipe, but I think it comes close to what you expect for something like tortilla soup. This tasty concoction is just something I came up with when I rummaged through my kitchen! I have most of these things available to me all the time. The pantry items are really basic and I almost always end up buying onions and peppers at the grocery store whether I have a specific recipe in mind or not. And it's so simple! And makes you feel all warm inside.


Tortilla Soup
Makes 8 servings
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients  (( Healthier Ingredient Substitutions ))                          
3 cups cooked rotini pasta (( 3 cups cooked wheat rotini pasta ))                                    
3 large tortillas (( 3 large wheat tortillas ))                                           
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped                                 
1 green bell pepper                                                                       
1 small onion                                                                                     
32 oz. UNSALTED chicken broth (( 32 oz. low fat unsalted chicken broth ))                                           
1 cup water                                                                                       
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis                                  
1 can black beans                                                                            
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (( 1/2 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese ))                                  
1 cup sour cream (( 1/2 cup low fat sour cream ))                                 
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice                                                                      
1/2 Tbsp dried cilantro                                                                  
1/2 tsp olive oil                                                                                 
1/2 tsp garlic powder                                                                     
1/2 tsp cumin                                                                                    
1/2 tsp chili powder                                                                       
1/2 tsp salt (( salt to taste ))                                               
1/4 tsp black pepper


1. Dice bell pepper and onion and saute in a large pot with olive oil over medium low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes and chilis, cup of water, lime juice, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper and turn the heat to medium high. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

4. Add cooked chicken, black beans, and cooked pasta and continue simmering. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on tortillas and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 7 minutes.

5. Turn stove off and let soup cool for 5 minutes.

6. Add 1/2 cup sour cream and  1/2 cup cheddar cheese and stir until everything is combined and melted. Skip the cheddar cheese for healthier version.

7. Serve with tortilla slice and sour cream. Enjoy!



Chop your bell pepper and onion. This soup is nice and hearty!

Notice the UNSALTED chicken broth. This is important. There is an enormous amount of salt in most broths. This way you can control the amount of salt in the recipe!

Saute the bell pepper and onion with some olive oil until the onions start to become translucent.

Add broth, canned tomatoes, water, lime juice, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Then bring right back down to simmer! If you're chicken and pasta aren't cooked yet, now is the time to do it. It will only taste better the longer it simmers! It should simmer for a minimum of 15 minutes.


Add the chicken and black beans and continue to simmer!

Lookin' good.

Put tortillas and cheese in the oven for about 7 minutes at 400 degrees. Keep and eye on them though! There a nice crispy addition to the soup when they're done.

Turn the stove heat off and let cool for 5 minutes. You don't want it to be too hot when you add the dairy! Now comes the rich part... Stir in the sour cream and cheddar cheese until everything is melted together.













Serve with the sliced tortillas and more sour cream! Yummy and warm and zesty!




4 comments:

  1. you are so talented joce!! i love the idea of using up what you have available in the kitchen. i so need to try this!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lauren! Yeah these are all ingredients I tend to keep stocked in my kitchen. It is really nice for nights when I don't feel like trekking to the grocery store!

      Delete
  2. I love that you came up with this yourself! It looks soo delicious - tortilla soup is one of my fave soups!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :) This is one of those recipes that originally came to me because I was hungry and didn't feel like leaving the house for ingredients!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Follow @JoceysKitchen