Tortilla soup

By Jody

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon light oil, such as canola or vegetable
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 litre vegetable broth (4 cups)
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 19oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• For garnishing:
• 3 small corn tortillas OR 3 handfuls of tortilla chips (gluten-free if preferred)
• 2 tablespoons light oil (needed only if frying your own tortillas - see instructions)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Details

Level of difficulty Average
Cost Average budget

Preparation

Step 1

For the soup: add the oil to a large pot and put over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown. Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through.

Stir in the black beans and corn and cook an additional 5 minutes until everything is nice and hot.

For the tortillas: in the meantime, you can make the tortilla strips. If you don’t want to fuss with this, simply use tortilla chips and skip this process. To make the tortilla strips, cut the tortillas into small strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and when hot, add the strips in a single layer. Fry for about 1 minute per side, flipping when the bottom is golden to fry the other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

To assemble the soup: scoop a serving of soup into a bowl. Top with avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips (or tortilla chips), and a squeeze of lime.