Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Recipe (2024)

I’m Mexican. Tortilla strips (for tortilla soup or chilaquiles) should always be cut up and left out to dry for at least one day until they are hard. Otherwise, they will soak up all the oil and will be too soft and disintegrate in the soup.

I made this and it turned out great! I didn't use any of the ingredients listed because i didn't have them. i had water, dirt, and a rock. I threw the rock and dirt into the water and mixed well. Served with fresh ice cubes! Definitely making again.

When we lived in New Mexico, we learned to toast tortillas by just setting them on the gas burner and flipping once. Watch closely with tongs in hand because it doesn't take long! Nice toasty taste and texture, no oil/pots/pans/cleanuo required.

I've now made this a few times. Adding some cooked black beans (not canned) and using homemade veggie stock make this soup so flavorful. Agree with previous comments that carmelizing the drained tomatoes is crucial to get the complex flavor. I successfully freeze portions of the soup then thaw, heat and add the "assembly" ingredients.

I should have listened more to the chili vs Chile powder notes. WOW. I love spicy foods, but this made my lips burn a little (although that could have been the adobo sauce that I added). Adding a dash of paprika and cumin really rounded out the flavors. I didn’t want to over salt the dish, so if you’re worried about that, I would highly recommend adding lime juice to each serving. It really helped to brighten the soup and being out the other flavors.

Jimbo's version, using just water, dirt, and a rock, is indeed delicious, but it's not vegetarian, because dirt contains numerous microscopic animals. I tried omitting the dirt and the result was quite acceptable.

Tortilla soup is vegetatian, unless you count the cheese. In all my time in Mexico I have never had tortilla soup with chicken in it or any other meat. That's not to say that I have any objection to putting meat in the soup though I would not do it personally - it would take away from the unique character of this excellent Mexican invention.

Wow! I used fresh corn and an extra big jalapeno, and this soup was packed with flavor!! My only stray from the recipe as written was to add a can of drained and rinsed black beans for the protein and the extra filling power. This is going to be one of my go-to recipes this winter, for sure.

Delicious smokey flavor and nice heat. I also added a cup of uncooked quinoa with the liquid to add some protein.

Made this while I was sick, so took some lazy shortcuts. Made it in an instant pot by first sautéing the veggies and then pouring in canned tomatoes and their juice (didn’t bother draining and caramelizing them), brought to boil, then cover, put on high pressure for 10 mins. Didn’t bother thawing frozen corn and dumped them in with tomatoes. Didn’t measure the water/broth and used chicken better than bouillon. Used bagged tortilla chips instead of frying tortillas. Still very tasty!

Corn Tortillas can be a very healthy addition here. I particularly like the "Ezekiel" ones, nothing but sprouted corn, water & lime sold only in fridge case or frozen! Simply cut like an 8 slice pizza, put in dry cast iron skillet and in a *350 oven for a few min, toss, and another couple of min! Once you have added some beans here you now have a very hign protein Veg. or Vegan (w'out the cheese) meal.

Both my husband and I thought this soup was excellent I followed the directions exactly except for adding the cilantro to the soup at the end rather than as a topping.I made my own vegetable broth which I think increased the flavor. I put a large carrot, some celery with leaves, an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, some salt, and a sprig of thyme, and 2 quarts of water. I simmered it for about 1. 5 hours.

Such a good base recipe! My secret to wholesome flavor is never use one type of chili powder, always make a blend of different chili powders (sweet, paprika, smoked, spicy, chipotle, different brands even). So I used 1/2 tsp sweet, 1/2 tsp smoked and 1 tsp regular for this recipe. Also, I added some beans (extra) for variation (kidney/black eyed) and texture. There's so much you can do with this soup - suitable for every season!

I did as others suggested and drained the tomatoes so as to allow for caramelization and then added the reserved liquid back into the soup. I used chicken stock, as that is what I had on hand. Had some leftover chicken breast in the fridge, so threw that in, along with a can of black beans. Served over rice and it was a hearty dinner!

Used 2 mildish poblanos and 1/2 a bag of TJ roasted corn, 1 can black beans, 1 can san marzanos (drained and juice added after tomatoes caramelize) cumin, chipotle powder, s and p only spices used- 2 chipotles in adobo and all juice leftover. Super delish. Served with shredded cabbage, cheddar, avocado and cilantro -chips on the side

Made this and loved it! Added more chili powder and about 1.5 cups of black beans which upped the protein content. Another home cook I know cuts the tortilla strips and puts them In the microwave 1 min per side till they are toasty looking and crispy. I forgot to try that but will next time.

If DH were the family menu planner, we'd eat this soup at least once a week! I make as written except that I do not cook the tortillas. Instead I cut them up and add them with the broth, corn and water. They dissolve into the soup and thicken it. I'd take credit for this trick but learned it in another recipe. Sometimes DH wants chicken in it so I roast a breast, shred it and he can add it to the soup when serving.

I didn't crush my tomatoes enough; the pieces were too large. And the soup wasn't as thick as I preferred. I wanted a consistency similar to that of the soup I order at a local Mexican restaurant. So I reserved half of the corn kernels and put the rest through my Vitamix. Turned the dial to a 3 (out of 10) for about 10 seconds. That did the trick. It also helped cut down on the sharpness of the jalapeño. I might use 3/4 of a jalapeño next time.

Pretty spicy, would go easy on the chipotle. I only used 2 whole peppers and even with all the mix-ins, my lips are burning. Added juice of 1 lime, 1 cup squash, and can of pinto beans. I didn’t have any corn. Delicious and easy!

Love the recipe. That said, I have made modifications:-Cook onions before the garlic and jalapeños. I let them get quite soft, then add the garlic and jalapeños and cook until the garlic is fragrant.-Increase amt of garlic-Increase amt of chili powder. Also add cumin and Paprika. Cook the spices with the onions. -Add the liquid drained from the tomatoes in with the stock (I prefer diced or crushed tomatoes).-Add rinsed canned black beans with the corn-Serve over baby spinach

The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give some great sweet and smoky flavor to the soup. If I made this again, I would probably use canned diced tomatoes rather than canned whole tomatoes. Very fresh and tasty!

This is hot salsa, proceed with caution

Like many, I added a can of rinsed and drained black beans for protein. Also used a can of crushed tomatoes, so I think I didn't get the caramelized business. Oh well. Was quite hot for me, but delicious! I was afraid it was going to be too runny, but my crushed up tortilla chips (instead of home made strips) thickened it right up. Yummy!

the modification comments are too much on this one. I get why that reader made the joke about using rocks and dirt. keep in mind that if you add an ingredient, you are increasing the volume of the soup and are therefore going to dilute the developed flavor. that said, I added a can of black beans not because this recipe isn't perfect, but to appease my protein obsessed partner :)

I made a double batch of this for a NYE party and it was a hit! I added black beans, kale, and crushed fire roasted tomatoes. I put the garnishes in cute little ramekins for a toppings bar which worked well for a group.

Added a can of chickpeas to add protein and bulk. Definitely add the lime juice. I thought it was just okay, aych really liked it.

Added a can of chickpeas. Definitely add the lime juice. I thought this was okay, aych liked it a lot!

1 can black beans, more adobo chiles, cook tortillas on flame

Edible, but not a lot of flavor. I added my biggest punches for umami afterwards and it still wasn't even to save it.

I sprayed the tortilla strips with oil and baked them in the oven at max heat 220C for another 15’ instead of frying