I have always loved the flavors and colors in Mexican food. Growing up in Southern California exposed me to this wonderful cuisine and I still can never get enough of it.
Mexican food would be on the menu at home more often if my kids enjoyed more of the flavors. However, plain bean and cheese burritos and quesadillas are mostly what they want. My older son even wants ranch dressing on his burrito. Strange but true.
Anyway, this Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup is so easy to make. This version is vegetarian but shredded chicken could easily be thrown in.
This soup is zesty with lots of flavor and can be on the dinner table in under one hour.
Let's make it...
Here's what you will need: Pasilla (or poblano chilis), corn tortillas, ground cumin, fresh corn (or frozen), garlic, vegetable broth, red onion, fire-roasted tomatoes. Ingredients not shown: Vegetable oil, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, lime, salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and dust with nonstick cooking spray. Broil the chiles until blackened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool.
Once cooled, the skin will easily peel off. Slice the chile down the middle to remove the seeds and chop into bite size pieces.
Halve 6 corn tortillas then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Season immediately with salt.
In a large deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook until browned at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the red onion and 3 cloves of crushed garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in 4 cups vegetable broth, one 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes and diced chiles. Bring to a boil and turn off. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Divide the tortilla strips among four bowls and ladle the soup on top.
Top with chopped avocado, squeezes of lime, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.
Thank goodness there are leftovers. It was delicious.
Corn And Salsa Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Rachel Ray
3 pasilla or poblano chiles
6 corn tortillas, halved then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob, or two 10-ounce boxes frozen corn kernels
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) vegetable broth
One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
2 avocados, chopped
1 lime
Cilantro
Sour cream
Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and dust with nonstick cooking spray. Broil the chiles until blackened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool. Once cooled, the skin will easily peel off. Slice the chile down the middle to remove the seeds and chop into bite size pieces.
Halve tortillas then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil and cumin. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Season immediately with salt.
In a large deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook until browned at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the red onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles. Bring to a boil and turn off. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Divide the tortilla strips among four soup bowls and ladle the soup on top. Top with chopped avocado, squeezes of lime, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.
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Love the explosion of flavours Cathy. How colourful & full of flavour. WOW!!
I have a lot of experience eating Mexican food, but not a lot cooking it. Are th Poblano Chiles hot? As in, when working with them, do I need to wear latex gloves? I did something with chiles one time and ended up in the emergency room with burns. Let em know okay…you can email me. I want to make this around 5pm EST.
That looks delicious! Especially with a little shredded chicken thrown in it would be a great full meal. I love tortilla soup, I would have never tried it before moving to Texas but now I can’t get enough. It is the only soup we eat consistently at my house.
RR comes up with some delicious twists on our classic favourites.
It’s 7:30 in the morning and now I’m planning dinner! This looks SOOOOOO yummy! Thanks!
Yummy. Tortilla soup is my new addiction. Look at those peppers – and that avocado!
Yummito!
Love SW food and love chili/soups. I like that you made your own Fritos. We put tons of Fritos in our chili–the kids will eat it that way. I say I can’t wait for the day when they actually like eating all the things I make, but I have a feeling with four boys, someday I’ll be saying, “ahh, I can’t keep up with how much you all eat!” So I try not to complain.
This looks pretty interesting. I love avocado!
Arribe! I could eat that for breakfast!
oh wow, that looks amazing! /adding to cookbook to try
!
cheese baby cheese! I have been craving avacado’s for a long time, and now seeing them I am going to make some guac. what do avacado’s have in them that I am craving nutritionally? Vit E?
The colors just exploded off the screen!
Oh that looks so good! I could see myself craving that!
You had me at the avocados! I make a turkey (or chicken) tortilla soup and I use the tortillas in a similar way for topping. Yummy for sure! Thanks!
Shirley
Love all the flavors and textures. And the roasted peppers, yum.
Oh yum! My mouth is seriously watering. I would eat this for breakfast RIGHT NOW if I had some.
Wow, does that look good! Cathy I didn’t think it was possible, but your photos keep getting better!
What a delicious soup, it is one of my favorite. I like Cheers,
Elra
That is such a wonderfully colorful soup! Love the avocado and corn – yum!
They are very mild.
That looks fabulous! I will have to give it a try here if I can find the peppers. (I may end up substituting canned roasted peppers.) Re: the child’s penchant for ranch dressing–my teenage daughters douse everything in it. It’s to this generation what ketchup was to mine, I guess.
I am like you…I just gravitate towards TexMex flavors! This looks awesome Cathy. Can I come live with you? LOL
MMmmmmmmm that looks good. I love soup of all kinds & love tex-mex flavors. I’m just wary of the “skin will easily peel off” that never happens easily for me!
I love this, it looks so yummmy. I want someone to fix me food this morning. lol. I feel lazy. Want to fly to NY?
Wow, this just explodes off the page. I love Tex-Mex so this just really hits the spot. So appetizing looking. Thanks for the roasting pepper pics that’s helpful.
I would love this if it didn’t have the corn. I hate corn. I know…everyone I know thinks I’m insane but I just hate the stuff. Everything else looks good though!
Now that is one jam packed soup!!! YUMMY
That looks DELICIOUS!! Trader Joe’s has frozen roasted corn that I will try in it. Then, in the summer I will use farmers’ market fresh! Can’t wait!!
Love the crispy tortilla strips! I bet that adds a great dimension to it.
I’m working on my shopping list for tomorrow. Guess what we’re having this week? YUMMY!!! : D
I’ve never tried a vegetarian version of this. Sounds good!
I think I can smell the cilantro. Seriously. Mmmm-mmmm!
Your soup looks so good, I just love roasted poblanos. All those toppings look amazing too, I’m a huge avocado fan.
LOVE tortilla soup. The roasted poblanos are a great idea — and a vegetarian version is just brilliant. Great idea, Cathy.
Whoa! That looks incredibly spicy, delicious, just plain fabulous!
My daughter always orders chicken tortilla soup when we go out. I have never made it at home. I will have to make this for her as a surprise.
This looks amazing – I’d have to puree the tomatoes and leave out the onions, but I can’t wait to try this!
Yummo! Hope you had a good weekend and are enjoying a glass of wine tonight – I am even mixing it up and having Chardonnay!
I’d like to comment, but I have to mop the drool from my keyboard, first!
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
This looks wonderful, I too love the vibrant food of Mexico, or at least my understanding of it!
By the way, what a surprise to see you had stopped by the Sunday Cafe, thanks!
WOW… These are awesome pictures, the soup looks great and my husband would love it.
THIS BEATS….YO QUIERO TACO BELL…I could eat mexican everyday….I love all the color especially love the avocado…trying this one for sure…
Oh YEAH! You can totally zoup me up! Love everything about this. All those flavors and the homemade chips … mmm, mmm, good!
your soup is so full of goodness, i can barely see the broth! that’s actually how i prefer my soups–broth is just a filler.
Oh. My. God. That soups looks hearty and delicious!
YUM! I love tortilla soup, and this one looks quite delicious! I can’t wait to try this, as I’ve been on quite the soup kick lately.
I have been desperately searching for a good tortilla soup recipe. I think you’ve been reading my mind again, haven’t you? You know I just love when you read my mind!
Oh that looks perfect! I love poblanos. Do you ever make Chile Rellenos? Mmmmm.
Love all the tortillas in there. This is such a great soup. Crunchy and filling!
This looks fantastic! I love tortilla soup and this is the heartiest looking version I’ve seen! Awesome!
The soup looks wonderful…brownies to. I’ll have to give it a try. Now I’m hungry!
Someone served tortilla soup at an Oscar party we went to and I’ve been craving a Mexican type soup ever since. This is perfect!
dear lord this looks tasty!
I made this for dinner last night but kicked it up a notch with spicier chilies and red pepper flakes. I also added chicken. SO GOOD!!
I love your food blog! I made this for dinner the other night and it was so good! I used whole grain tortillas for the strips since they were in my fridge and added chicken to it to make it a little heartier. I will say, I don’t think the corn needed to brown so high…mine actually started to burn, however, it didn’t really have a negative effect on the flavor. My husband said this tasted like something you’d get at a restaurant. I will definitely be making this again!
Thanks for letting me know!