Recipe: Vegan Tortilla Soup

I am a bit of a soup fiend, and if there is one thing I really like about the winter, it's that I get to make soups, stews, chilis, etc. a lot more frequently. Tortilla soup is probably one of my all time favorites and it is extremely simple to make vegan. The below recipe is a modified version of the recipe found in Sarah Kramer's "La Dolce Vegan" cook book. I added a few of my own elements and will include tips on how you can do so yourself as well.  One thing you'll notice is using canned products which are low sodium or have no salt added. Soups are infamously high in sodium, so no point in making it even higher.


I am a fan of making enough soup to last all week long, so if you only want enough for one meal to serve 2-4 people, make sure to cut this in half, as this recipe makes enough for probably 8.  


1 can corn (no salt added)
1 can black beans (no salt or low sodium)
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
5 cups (1 box) organic vegan soup base
1 large white onion
1 small can green chilis
1 can (12oz) tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
freshly chopped cilantro


optional:
1 package crumbled beef substitute (i use Morningstar farms, but it is not vegan) 
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Cholula chili lime seasoning
vegan sour cream
tortilla chips

• Saute diced onions in olive oil in a deep soup pan until translucent.
• Add minced garlic and green chilis - saute for an additional 2 mins
• Add soup base, corn, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, ("beef" crumbles if wanted) - stir to mix thoroughly
• Add chili powder, basil, cumin, sea salt & pepper (also add cayenne at this point if you want to spice things up quite a bit) - stir to mix thoroughly
• Bring to a boil and then turn down to low, cover and let simmer for 15 - 20 min

Stir one last time really well and then serve. This soup is even better the longer it's been sitting, so if you can, let this soup sit for a few hours before serving. 

Garnish with vegan sour cream and cilantro if you'd like. The mix of the cool flavors of cilantro and sour cream contrast perfectly with the spice of this soup.

You can also line the bottom of your soup bowl with tortilla chips or just eat this soup as a dip for tortilla chips, it is thick enough. 

If you are feeling up to it or really want to impress, you can also buy a bag of soft corn tortillas. Cut about 4 tortillas into approx 1/4" strips, toss in a bowl with about 1 tbsp of olive oil until coated and then sprinkle with Cholula chili lime seasoning.  Spread on a cookie sheet and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes at 450 or until crispy. You may want to broil for about 2 minutes on the bottom rack at the very end.

As ou can see there are all sorts of things you can add to this recipe or modifications you can do. Make it a few times like this and then get creative. 

Please come back to comment and let me know what you think.

Cheers!!