Planned Leftovers: Tortilla Soup
I swear not all my leftovers recipes are soup. But after a heavy holiday meal like Thanksgiving, all I want is something light. Light, yet filling and hot because it is still cold out there! Anytime we have chicken on the menu we plan ahead for leftovers so we can make this soup another night.
Cheryl at 5 second rule also reminded me that leftover turkey was not pre-destined to be a pot pie or a casserole. It could also be turned into a hearty soup. Duh! We make tortilla soup down here pretty often and the turkey and turkey stock I had leftover made this a great fast meal.
I wanted to try a new recipe for tortilla soup: this one posted by Krysta aka evil chef mom originally posted by Melissa of Alosha’s Kitchen. Two of my favorite bloggers: I knew they wouldn’t steer me wrong. I made a few changes of my own and I loved it! mrChaos complained that it wasn’t his mom’s recipe but decided to tell me he liked it anyway in the end.
Tortilla Soup
serves 8, prep 5 min, cook 20 min, adapted from ecm- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green peppers (Rotel)
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 serano pepper, minced, seeds removed
- 2 soft corn tortillas, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
- In oil, saute onion and garlic until soft.
- Add tomatoes, broth, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 min.
- Add pepper, tortillas, and chicken. Continue simmering about 10 more minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.
To serve have any of the following: shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, crushed tortilla chips or fried corn tortilla strips.
To make tortilla strips: heat about 1 inch of oil in a skillet or pot. Stack about 6 corn tortillas on the cutting board and slice them into long thin (1/2 in) strips. Cut these in half. Drop into hot oil by the handful, quickly stirring to separate. Fry for a couple of minutes or until crisp and lightly golden. Remove strip from oil and dry on a paper towel. If you want to sprinkle them with salt or spices do so while they are still shiny from the oil.
Here are some more ideas for using leftover cooked chicken.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
this looks terribly comforting. We have a few cold days ahead this weekend!
December 11th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Looks yuuum. It’s so easy to play with and turns out great no matter the tweaks. I was just thinking the other day about making a batch. Mm. Warm and comforting lunches. Thanks for this reminding me post. 🙂
December 11th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Yum, I haven’t made tortilla soup in ages…it looks wonderful!
December 11th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Absolutely beautiful… There are few times where I want to season my monitor and dig in. This is one. Well done.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I love tortilla soup, this looks perfect. I bet it was delicious! Something I always order out but never make! I have to try this. Yumm!!
December 12th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
my mom always makes a turkey-rice soup after Thanksgiving it is such a welcomed meal after the big feast. This tortilla soup looks and sounds delicious!
December 13th, 2008 at 11:54 am
This one looks so much better than mine! (My broth came out kind of cloudy, but I love the brick-red color you achieved with yours.)
December 29th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
How did you get it this color? What ingredient does that? I want to make this soon and I want it to look just like yours!
I think it is the chili powder and tomatoes. I used freshly ground bright red Ancho Chili Powder. I was really drawn to the color as well which is why I chose to make this recipe. Good Luck! -Katie
December 1st, 2009 at 5:11 pm
guess what i was i am making for dinner? it’s already on the stove.
January 24th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Had this last week and it’s already on the meal plan for this week, using homemade chicken stock you taught me to make. This is soooooooooo yum.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:18 am
This is a great recipe! I’m already sharing it with friends.
October 20th, 2010 at 9:33 am
How do you think this would turn out in the crockpot? Love this recipe!
January 1st, 2011 at 4:51 pm
My goodness,this soup was so good. I really appreciate the simplicity of it. Now I know what to do with my left over chicken and tortillas. So simple and delicious.