You may have tried making (or just tasting) Mexican Tortilla Soup before. Really yummy, right? Well, the recipe I am about to share with you is sans tortillas. That's French for "without tortillas." Yes, I know it makes no sense to use French here. Sometimes the French simply must come out. C'est la vie.
Anyway, back to the recipe! Since I am still fighting the battle of the bulge, I skipped the tortillas in this soup. If you are not trying to lose weight or avoiding grains, you could add some on top of this soup. (Usually I thinly slice corn tortillas into strips and toast them in the oven.) Other optional toppings might include sour cream (or Greek yogurt), shredded Mexican cheese, salsa, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro (mine just sprouted so I will have to wait for it to grow some more!) or crumbled tortillas chips.
I took a photo of my soup bubbling on the stove because it was so pretty!
Mexican Tortilla-less Soup
1 quart chicken stock (homemade is best)
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red and green bell peppers
1 or 2 chopped jalapeno peppers (remove seeds for less heat)
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped kale leaves (remove stems)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup frozen sweet corn
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I use low sodium.)
pinch of cayenne (optional)
Heat chicken stock in a soup pot over medium heat. When boiling, add celery and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add onions and peppers. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Add kale leaves with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until everything is heated through and bubbling, or about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with your favorite optional toppings such as sour cream, avocado, salsa, tortilla chips or grated cheese. Makes at least 4 hearty servings.
NOTE: I recommend adding the avocado as otherwise this soup is very low fat. You could also drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
Anyway, back to the recipe! Since I am still fighting the battle of the bulge, I skipped the tortillas in this soup. If you are not trying to lose weight or avoiding grains, you could add some on top of this soup. (Usually I thinly slice corn tortillas into strips and toast them in the oven.) Other optional toppings might include sour cream (or Greek yogurt), shredded Mexican cheese, salsa, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro (mine just sprouted so I will have to wait for it to grow some more!) or crumbled tortillas chips.
I took a photo of my soup bubbling on the stove because it was so pretty!
Mexican Tortilla-less Soup
1 quart chicken stock (homemade is best)
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red and green bell peppers
1 or 2 chopped jalapeno peppers (remove seeds for less heat)
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped kale leaves (remove stems)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup frozen sweet corn
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I use low sodium.)
pinch of cayenne (optional)
Heat chicken stock in a soup pot over medium heat. When boiling, add celery and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add onions and peppers. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Add kale leaves with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until everything is heated through and bubbling, or about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with your favorite optional toppings such as sour cream, avocado, salsa, tortilla chips or grated cheese. Makes at least 4 hearty servings.
NOTE: I recommend adding the avocado as otherwise this soup is very low fat. You could also drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
I love tortilla soup! It's one of my go-to recipes. I love the spice blend of cumin, cayenne, chili powder, and garlic powder - it instantly makes anything taste Mexican!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned a tortilla-less soup, but I often don't have tortilla chips in my tortilla soup - and I still call it tortilla soup!