Tortilla Soup Recipe

8 cups chicken broth (I use 99% or 100% fat free)

16-ounce can tomatoes 
1 onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic 
a handful of cilantro leaves

2 to 3 chipotle peppers or ancho chilies (I use about 4-5)

Chipotle sauce

Cubed turkey or chicken

Shredded Monterey jack or PepperJack cheese 
Tortilla’s for thickening, or Tortilla strips (Homemade or store-bought)
Sour cream (I use fat free)

Avocados cut up

Lime wedges (if you like them)

In a large pot, put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and sauté the chopped up onion, garlic and cilantro.  Pour in about 4 oz of the tomatoes and blend with a hand blender until smooth.  (If you prefer, you can combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro in a blender and blend until smooth.)

Add the chicken broth, and the ancho or chipotle peppers. Bring to boiling; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. I pull the peppers out after cooking but before this next step. 

Add about 6-10 tortillas (cubed). Simmer for 5 minutes more, and then hand blend again till smooth. Add the Chipotle sauce, or any hot sauce you prefer, to taste. Some people use Adobo seasoning. 

I like to make my own tortilla chips by cutting corn tortillas into strips and frying (I do not salt the strips).  However, you can use regular store tortilla chips or Fritos.  Put them in a bowl with your choice of cheese, avocados, chicken and sour cream. Pour soup over and serve hot. You can squeeze a little lime on it if you like.

If I feel ambitious enough, I’ll add a chicken (skinless) to a pot of 8 cups chicken broth and 4 cups water.  I wrap the chicken with onions, carrots and the Ancho chilies in cheese cloth and put the whole thing into the pot.  So much easier to strain. I’ll strain the broth and use it for the soup and bone the chicken for later.  I’ll add a fresh tomato or two to the mix.

Play with the recipe and tune it to your taste, that’s what I did.  The recipe above is a combination of a few recipes I found on the web, but I played with it until it tasted like I remembered from my trips to Mexico.

New Tip:  My new favorite addition is the Embassa Chipotle peppers in sauce (in place of the Chipotle sauce listed above). You can find the cans in the Mexican section at Raleys/Bel Air.  The flavor is so awesome, but beware the heat!