Mexican Tortilla Soup Recipe

Instead of wasting uneaten food, many Mexican cooks use leftover tortillas in various dishes. Especially in this economy, one should conserve as much as possible. This dish illustrates that leftovers can be used in grand ways. It’s a true meal-in-a-bowl.

1) Gather your ingredients: 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips 1 tablespoon of oil Salt 8 cups of chicken broth 1 cup tomato purée 1 green chile pepper, like jalapeño, seeded and cut into strips 1 canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, minced 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken Black pepper 1 medium lime, cut into wedges, to serve 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced, to serve 2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (approximately 8 ounces) to serve Sour cream, to serve

2) Preheat your oven to 425°F

3) Toss the tortillas with the oil in a medium bowl and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the tortillas are crisp. This should take about 10 minutes. Add salt as you wish and transfer to paper towels to get rid of excess oil.

4) Heat the broth, tomato purée, and chile pepper over medium-high heat until they boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to mix thoroughly. Add the chicken and continue simmering until it is heated throughly. This should take about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper for flavor as you want.

5) To serve, put the soup into bowls and place tortilla strips on top. Make the lime wedges, avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream available at the table.