Recipe Review: Tortilla Soup

The holy grail of soups in my world is Tortilla Soup (yes, capitalized, it’s that important!). We spent a very brief stint in the 1990s living in Southern California. The one thing I miss that I have never been able anywhere else is a Tortilla Soup as delicious as the variety I ate at Spoons in Tustin, CA.

I spent years ordering Tortilla Soup from every restaurant that we’ve visited. I’ve had some really good soups, including a creamy jalapeno tortilla that was eye-water and extremely delicious, but I’ve never found anything to rival Spoons’ recipe.

This is one of the versions I make at home. It is nothing like the fabled Spoons’ soup, but it’s still pretty darned good. It takes about five minutes to cook, too, which makes it even better on busy nights with music lessons and such that require the mom taxi to be on call.

Six Can Tortilla Soup

I first came across this recipe on allrecipes, but have since seen it in a number church and community cookbooks (something I collect). Wherever you find the recipe, it’s really hard to go wrong with!

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (I prefer using 1 32 oz carton of organic free-range chicken broth)
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken (I typically use leftovers, but this works, too!)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained

Garnish: (not listed in the original recipe)

tortilla chips
grated cheese (sharp cheddar or Monterrey Jack are both excellent)
jalapenos (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Empty first five ingredients into a large cooking pot. Allow to simmer a couple of minutes and then ladle into bowls. Serve topped with garnish. This makes a fantastic side or starter. It’s great served with enchiladas, rice, or just by itself!