Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
Tortilla soup is a smoky tomato-and-chile broth from the Tex-Mex and northern Mexican tradition, usually crowned with fried tortilla strips and a pile of cool toppings. The soul of it is the base: dried anchos and a single chipotle toasted and soaked, then blended with charred onion, garlic, and tomato and fried down until it turns brick red. That concentration is where the flavor lives, so there is no need for salt or oil. Black beans make it a meal, and instead of fried strips the crunch comes from toasted pepitas, with avocado, radish, cilantro, and a hard squeeze of lime piled on top. Set the toppings out and let everyone build their own bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 wholes Ancho, stemmed and seeded
- 1 whole Chipotle, stemmed
- 2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes, no-salt-added
- 1 whole Yellow onions, quartered
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seed
- 1 tsp Dried oregano, Mexican
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup Black beans, cooked, no-salt-added
- 1 whole Avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds
- 4 wholes Radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 3 tbsp Lime juice
Method
- Toast the ancho and chipotle in a dry pot over medium heat, pressing them flat for a few seconds a side, until they puff and smell toasty, about 1 minute total. Do not let them scorch or the broth turns bitter. Pour in 1 cup (240 ml) hot water, cover, and soak 15 minutes until the chiles are soft and pliable.
- Toast the cumin seed and pepitas separately in the same dry pot until fragrant, about 90 seconds, and set the pepitas aside for the topping. Toasting the cumin whole and grinding it fresh gives the broth a depth that pre-ground powder cannot.
- Char the quartered onion and whole garlic in the dry pot until spotted black in places, about 5 minutes. The char is what stands in for the deep savor you would otherwise chase with salt and oil.
- Blend the soaked chiles and their soaking water, the charred onion and garlic, the tomatoes, cumin, and oregano until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and cook it down over medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes until it darkens to brick red and smells roasted. Frying the puree dry this way concentrates it before any liquid goes in.
- Add the bouillon, black beans, and 3 cups (710 ml) water. Simmer 15 minutes to marry the flavors, then stir in the lime juice off the heat. The acid sharpens the smoke and makes the broth taste seasoned without salt.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with avocado, the toasted pepitas, sliced radish, and cilantro. The crunch of the pepitas stands in for fried tortilla strips, and the cool avocado balances the chile heat.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 7 g protein, 8 g fiber, 120 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
