December 29th, 2010

Tortilla Soup, Recipe, Quick, Easy, One Dish Meal

Still with no oven, probably for a couple more days; I am turning to soups.  I love them all.  No barbecuing in the past few days.  No way; it has been bitter cold.

Soups are simply satisfying one dish meals.  In the summer I make gazpacho, vichyssoise, or a fruit soup.  But during the winter the chowders, bean soups, onion soups are the ones that warm you up in a very special way. 

I have made a different type of tortilla soup before; tonight’s tortilla soup is just that; Tortilla Soup.  I hope you try it because I think you will find that it is so easy to prepare; probably the ingredients are in your kitchen already.

Tortilla Soup

8 1/2 cups of chicken broth (I used organic low sodium)

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Cajun-style stewed tomatoes.  I could not find any so I used the Italian style ones.

4 or 5 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 teaspoons chili powder (more if you want to)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 cups chopped cooked chicken ( I bought chicken tenders and sauteed them in a frying pan) 

1 can of corn, drained

2 cans of black beans, drained

1 small can of chopped green chiles

4 tablespoons half and half

2 cups shredded Chipotle Cheddar Cheese (I bought the Cabot brand and shredded it myself)

Tortilla Chips (I bought blue corn tortilla chips)

It might look like a long list but you will see how easily it is all assembled.

The first thing to do is to get a large soup pot and bring the first 7 ingredients to a boiling point. 

Reduce heat.

If you have not yet cooked the chicken then quickly sautee in a frying pan with a little bit of oil and a pat of butter, and cut to bite size pieces.

If you had your chicken already cooked then add it with the rest of the ingredients, using  just 1 cup of the cheese (the other cup for garnish), and hold the tortilla chips for garnish, as well.

Make sure the soup is nice and hot; serve it garnished with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese.

Serves about 6 people.

Hope you like it.  Remember to make it your own by adding a little more of this or a little less of that.

Talk to you later….