How to Make Tortilla Soup
This is definitely an all-time family favorite. My daughter Julianna requests this every year on her birthday. I am posting this now, just one month from her birthday. When made with homemade chicken stock and dried chilies tortilla soup is better than anything you will find in a Mexican restaurant. This recipe is like a homemade tomato soup with a serious flavor boost from onions, garlic and chilies. It is only complete with fresh lime, cilantro and cream. Homemade tortilla crisps, cotija (Mexican crumbling cheese) and Mexican sour cream take this soup to the next level. If desired, add grilled chicken breast, black beans or corn.
Tortilla Soup
- 4-6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large white onions, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 large dried pasilla chiles*
- 2 large dried guajillo chiles*
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz) with juice
- 4 quarts chicken broth
- For topping: Fresh lime, cilantro, avocado, Mexican sour cream, cotija, and tortilla crisps
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on med low in large pot. Be careful not to burn the onions. Cook slowly until translucent. Meanwhile prepare the chilies. Begin by wiping any dust or dirt off the dry chilies. Roast the chilies until fragrant. You can do this by holding the chilies over an open flame or by pressing the chilies onto a a hot skillet. Carefully remove the stems, veins and seeds.
Place in a blender the two cans diced tomatoes plus juice, and prepared chilies. Blend well. Add the sauteed onions and garlic to the blender and puree again. Pour back into large pot through sieve to remove large chunks of chili or onions. Bring tomato mixture to a gentle simmer for about ten minutes allowing it to thicken. Once it reaches the thickness of tomato paste add the chicken broth. Homemade chicken broth is always best. Simmer. Before serving add salt to taste.
Prepare homemade tortilla crisps by first cutting corn tortillas into strips and frying small batches in vegetable oil. The oil is ready when the tortilla strip sizzles and bubbles in the oil. Drain on paper towels and flavor with sea salt. Serve the soup with homemade tortilla crisps, Mexican cream, cilantro, avocado, lime, Mexican crumbling cheese (cotija) or shredded Monterrey jack, and hot sauce. If you want you can also add black beans, grilled chicken or corn.
*Experiment with different types of chile. If you can not find pasilla chilies use all Guajillo chilies. For extra heat replace some of the chiles with dried New Mexico chilies. Another way to add heat to this dish is by using fire roasted tomatoes.
Keep reading for the photo tutorial
Step 1 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Gather ingredients
For the soup base you will need two medium onions, 6 garlic cloves, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 4 quarts chicken broth, 2 dried Pasilla chilies and 2 dried Guajillo chilies.
For the toppings you will need fresh lime, avocado, cilantro, Mexican sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, corn tortillas (or tortilla chips), and cotija (Mexican crumbling cheese, not pictured).
Step 2 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Saute onions and garlic
Quickly slice onions and smash garlic. They will go into the blender so do not worry about perfection.
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic and cook on medium low heat. Be careful not to burn the onion or garlic.
Continue to cook until the onions are translucent. It is best to cook the onions and garlic slowly to prevent burning.
Step 3 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Roast dry chilies
Wipe the chilies clean with a damp cloth. Next place them over a hot flame or barbecue until they become fragrant. This can also be done by pressing the chilies into a hot frying pan. The skin of the chilies will start to sizzle. Try not to char the chilies. You just want to roast them enough to release the oils and enhance the flavor.
Clean the chilies by carefully remove stem, veins and seeds. I will discard everything on the right side of this photo.
Step 4 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Blend onions, tomatoes and chilies
Place the two cans of tomatoes plus liquid, and prepared chilies into a blender. Blend on high until a thick puree is formed.
Now add the sauteed onions and garlic to the blender and continue to puree. This mixture will go back into the large stock pot. Pour it into the stockpot through a sieve. This step was next to impossible to photograph. The straining step is optional, but the sieve will remove any large chunks of chili or tomato that remain. Do not use a fine sieve for this step, it will remove too much of the tomato.
Step 5 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Add broth and reduce
Allow the soup base (pictured above) to thicken for 10-15 minutes on low heat until it is the consistency of tomato paste. Stir frequently.
Add the chicken broth. Stir and continue to simmer. Before serving taste and taste again. Because I am using homemade broth I always add salt. I sometimes add additional chicken bouillon to get the flavor just right. If you are using canned chicken broth you may not need to add any salt. But if the soup seems to have not flavor you are definitely lacking in salt. I wish I could give exact amounts but it all depends on the brand of tomatoes and the type of broth you are using.
Step 6 – How to Make Tortilla Soup – Prepare toppings
If you have the time, make tortilla crisps at home. Leave the tortillas out while you are cooking so they start to dry out. Cut them into thin strips with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.
If the oil is hot enough the tortillas will sizzle and bubble immediately. Fry the tortillas in small batches.
Immediately add sea salt to the fried tortillas. Try to hide these because if you leave them out they will all be gone before dinner is served.
Experiment with different chilies, red onions instead of yellow or white onions… if you like heat use fire roasted tomatoes. You can not go wrong with this version of tortilla soup. Enjoy!
