Sunday, July 17, 2016

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup just like in Mexico



Tortilla soup is one of my favorites! 
Whenever I go to Cancun, Mexico on vacation, I am jealous of everyone eating and raving about the tortilla soup. It always looks so good, but it is made with chicken and chicken broth, and I am a vegetarian. I've searched for a vegetarian tortilla recipe, but have never really found one I liked until today.

Today, I found a good recipe on  A Year of Slow Cooking  that looks just like the soup in Mexico and guess what? It's made in the crock pot! Does it get any better than that? Yes, it's gluten free, vegan, and made from real food ingredients. I knew I was going to like this one. 




I love the ease of crock pot recipes and that everything is in one pot and there is so little mess. I also love that once the ingredients are assembled and in the slow cooker, I can walk out of the kitchen and do other things. The timer calls me when dinner is ready! 

Although this recipe uses a 6 quart slow cooker, I'm sure you could make it on the stove top. Too much soup? You can freeze some. 
This recipe makes about 8 servings. 

 I will admit that the original recipe called for hot hot hot chili peppers, chipotle chile powder, and smoked paprika. I really don't like things that spicy, so I left out the chili peppers entirely- my bad! 

But you can certainly add them back in - the original recipe called for 4 whole serrano chilis! Personally, I only added a little chipotle chile powder and my canned organic tomatoes actually had some chiles added to them- that was enough for me !

You know your own preferences, so adjust the spices as you see fit!
I know the temperatures are scorching out there and some of you may be thinking,"hot soup in the summer" ??? Why???? The answer is , I like it.. BUT for those of you who don't like hot soup in the summer, just pin it now to make in the winter.

 Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep: overnight for soaking beans + 5 minutes prep
Cook Time in Crock Pot: 4-5 hours on high
Recipe from:   Stephani Odea A Year of Slow Cooking 
Serves: 8

Ingredients: 
1 cup of dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and then drained before adding to crock pot. 
1 15 ounce can fire roasted chopped tomatoes with chilis 
or 3 cups of chopped Roma tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped  
4 cups flavorful vegetable broth
4 cups water 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder  
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika ( I used regular paprika- go easy) 
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 cup of fresh baby spinach
optional: 4 whole serrano chillis
optional garnishes to add to each bowl:
chopped avocado, tortilla chips, sliced black olives,  freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions: 
Add the pre-soaked beans, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices and broth and water in that order. If you are using the chillis- add then now and let them float on top! Cook covered for 8-10 hours of low or 4 to 5 on high. Discard the chilis before serving. Add the spinach to the crock pot/slow cooker before serving and it will wilt in the hot liquid. Stir and serve. 

Also, I included a Youtube Video of how to make a quick vegan tortilla soup in the Vitamix without cooking. You use boiling water, so it is a hot soup that is made in minutes! Might be perfect for you for the summer. It looks good!

My notes: 
  1. Go easy on the smoked paprika- you can always add more at the end. 
  2. If you use chopped tomatoes instead of the canned, you may need to add a little salt.
  3. You can always season more when the soup is done-
  4. If you want to make this on the stove top in a large pot to speed up the process, use 2 cans of cooked pinto beans instead of the dry soaked beans. I would sautee the onion and then add the other ingredients.  
A VEGAN TORTILLA SOUP RECIPE 
made in minutes without cooking IN THE VITAMIX 

James Wrobel makes a version of tortilla soup in the a Vitamix type blender without cooking! So if you are looking for something really fast and easy that you simply mix up with boiling water, check out this 7 minute video!!


Linked to : 
My blog carnival list and 


22 comments:

  1. I haven't made a tortilla soup in ages. I'm glad you linked with this, I think I will do it this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny how we forget about recipes that we used to make! Glad I jogged your memory- hope you make it and enjoy it.

      Delete
  2. This looks amazing!!!!! Great idea for the summer!!! Also perfect for entertaining and you can set up a toppings bar!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The quick in the blender version that involves no cooking is great for the summer- especially for tortilla soup shots!

      Delete
  3. Such a good idea! This will taste amazing with the weather cools again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      I understand if you have to wait until the winter... but I'm eating it right now and loving it.

      Delete
  4. I love tortilla soup, and I love that this one is so wholesome! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Courtney,
      I hope you will check out all of my soups because they are all wholesome. Enjoy

      Delete
  5. This soup looks so tasty! I don't mind soup in the summer so I'll try it soon (with the hot chili peppers - I like the heat lol).

    Thanks so much for linking up with us for #HealthyVeganFridays! I’m Pinning and sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary Ellen,
      Thanks for stopping by - I'm a big fan of Healthy Vegan Fridays so thanks for hosting it each week.

      Delete
  6. My youngest love veggie meals and soup is one of our favorite ways to enjoy a meal. Will have to try this. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erlene,
      How lucky that you have a child who loves veggie meals.. go for it and make him/her this soup..

      Delete
  7. Delicious I love to taste it, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Swathi,
      It's my pleasure to share on Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.. I appreciate you stopping by to comment about my Mexican tortilla soup

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Bethany-
      I know. I love them too.. is it the spices?? cumin?? hot pepper??

      Delete
  9. This sounds great! I haven't made Mexican soup before. And I personally like that you didn't make it spicy, I'm not a big spice fan myself.
    Thanks so much for sharing this at Healthy Vegan Fridays. I'm pinning & sharing. I hope you're having a great week, Judee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimmy,
      I just can't seem to get a handle on the hot spices either, but the soup doesn't really need it- I'm good without the extra heat..

      Delete
  10. This looks so good! Love all of the fresh ingredients. Thank you for joining the September 2016 Country Fair Blog Party!
    Laurie - Co-Host

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yummy! Sounds delicious- adding it to my list of things to make! Thanks for sharing at the Plant Based Potluck Party.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. Stephani Odea has some great recipes ! This is one of them..

      Delete

Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

Printfriendly