Published: · Updated: by Mely Martínez
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This authentic tortilla soup recipe is made with roasted tomatoes and garlic along with pasilla peppers and cooked in chicken broth. This Mexican soup recipe is a great option for a comforting dinner meal during the week. Don't forget the fried corn tortilla strips to add as a garnish!
The other night while we were eatingChilaquilesfor dinner, my family and I were talking about how so many of the tastiest dishes have been created out of necessity, or by using leftovers.
In This Post
- Authentic Tortilla Soup Recipe
- How To Make Mexican Tortilla Soup
- More Soup Recipes To Enjoy
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
You know, those moments when you stare at your fridge or pantry, wondering what you’re going to make for dinner, and you arrive at the conclusion: “I have nothing to cook!”.
Later on, after gathering things that you never imagined would work together, you end up creating one of your best meals.
Has this ever happened to you? I think this happened to the cook with this tortilla soup recipe!
Tortilla soup is one of the most famous soups from Central Mexico. There are several variations- Some include shredded chicken, roasted poblano peppers, and even pork skins (Chicharrones).
You can find this soup served in upscale restaurants or in small eateries known as “cocinas economicas” in Mexico City, and cities all over the country.
Authentic Tortilla Soup Recipe
This is one of my favorite soup recipes that I enjoy year-round. It's very simple and I like to add all of my leftover veggies that I usually have looming around the fridge.
Here is a list of ingredients you will need:
- Chicken broth
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Vegetable oil
- Epazote branch
- Corn tortillas (cut into thin strips)
- Pasilla peppers
- Salt and pepper to taste
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
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How To Make Mexican Tortilla Soup
To make things easier for you, I am going to breakdown the directions to this recipe into sections.
Roast All Of The Vegetables
- Heat a griddle and roast the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onion. Roast these veggies until tomatoes are blistered and slightly softened. Please note that garlic cloves will roast faster so remove them after a few minutes.
Blend All Of The Veggies Together
- Once the vegetables are roasted, peel the tomatoes place them into a blender with the onion and garlic.
- Puree it all until you have a smooth sauce. Add some chicken broth if needed.
Start Cooking The Tortilla Soup
- In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the tomato sauce mixture you just made and cook for about 3 minutes. It should start boiling.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. The color of the sauce will reduce and change color.
- While the sauce is cooking, start cutting the tortillas into thin strips in case you haven’t already done that.
- After the 5 minutes of simmering the sauce, add the chicken broth and turn the heat up. When it starts to boil, lower the heat to simmer for about 10-12 more minutes.
- Add the Epazote branch and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
Fry Up The Corn Tortilla Strips
- Now, in a large skillet, heat the oil and start frying the tortillas until they are crispy and have a golden color. You will need to work in batches in this step.
- Place the fried tortillas on a plate covered with paper napkins to drain any excess oil.
Fry The Pasilla Pepper Strips
- In the remaining oil, fry the pasilla pepper strips. Keep an eye on them as these will get crisp very quickly.
- Once they get crispy, remove, and set aside.
Serve And Enjoy!
- Ladle the soup into bowls add the tortilla strips and then the rest of the garnishes. You can also place the garnishes on the table and let everyone serve themselves.
Cooking Tips and Suggestions
- Make sure you rotate the vegetables often for an even roasting. If not, they might overcook or burn on one side.
- Try to use day-old corn tortillas when making tortilla strips. They tend to be crispier!
What To Serve With This Tortilla Soup Recipe
When I make tortilla soup, I sometimes like to serve it with a side of Mexican white rice and a sliced up avocado. You can also serve it with a serving of crispy homemade tortilla chips.
As for toppings, I often garnish this Mexican soup with a few small cubes of queso fresco, a dollop of Mexican crema, and some sliced up lime wedges for a pop of citrus flavor.
More Soup Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this recipe for tortilla soup, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Creamy Sweet Corn Soup
- Sopa De Lentejas (Lentil Soup)
- Mexican Black Bean Soup With Chorizo
- Menudo De Tripe (Veracruz Style)
- Beef Birria Soup
I hope you make this Mexican tortilla soup, and if this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
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📖 Recipe
Tortilla Soup
Mely Martínez
Tortilla Soup Recipe is one of the most famous soups from Central Mexico. There are several variations, some include shredded chicken, roasted poblano peppers, and even pork skins (Chicharrones). You can find this soup served in upscale restaurants or in small eateries known as “cocinas económicas”.
4.92 from 12 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Soups
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4
Calories 307 kcal
Ingredients
- · 6 cups of chicken broth
- · 2 medium-size tomatoes About 14 oz.
- · ⅓ of a medium size onion
- · 2 garlic cloves
- · 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil plus ¼ cup extra to fry the tortilla strips
- · 1 Epazote branch
- · 6 Corn tortillas cut into thin strips day-old ones are better**
- · 1 or 2 Pasilla Pepper thinly sliced, seeds removed.
- · Salt and pepper to taste
Garnishes:
- · 1 Avocado cut in cubes until ready to serve
- · 1 cup of fresh cheese cut in small cubes
- · Mexican Cream Optional
- · Lime wedges
Instructions
Heat a griddle and roast the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onion. Roast until tomatoes are blistered and slightly softened. Rotate often for an even roasting. Garlic cloves will roast faster. Remove them after a few minutes.
Once the vegetables are roasted, peel the tomatoes place them into a blender with the onion and garlic, puree until you have a smooth sauce. Add some chicken broth if needed.
In a large pot, heat the 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the tomato sauce mix and cook for about 3 minutes, it will start boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. The color of the sauce will reduce and change color.
While the sauce is cooking, start cutting the tortillas into thin strips in case you haven’t already done that.
After the 5 minutes of simmering the sauce, add the chicken broth and turn the heat up. When it starts to boil, lower the heat to simmer for about 10-12 more minutes.
Add the Epazote branch and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
Now, in a large skillet heat the oil and start frying the tortillas (making sure not to over crowd the skillet) until they are crispy and have a golden color. You will need to work in batches in this step. Place the fried tortillas over a plate covered with paper napkins to drain any excess oil.
In the remaining oil, fry the pasilla pepper strips, these will get crisp very quickly. Once they get crispy, remove and set aside.
Gather all your garnishes: cut the lime in wedges and the avocado in cubes, ready to assemble the bowls of soup.
Ladle the soup into bowls add the tortilla strips and then the rest of the garnishes. You can also place the garnishes at the table and let everyone serve themselves.
Notes
• *You can also add one pasilla pepper to the sauce, soak one pepper in water and onece soften add to the tomatoes while making the sauce.
• The pasilla peppers have shiny dark brown and wrinkled skin. The color resembles that of a prune’s skin. It is a very mild pepper used to make the famous Salsa Borracha (Drunken Sauce), as a garnish for the tortilla soup, and in moles and stews. Some recipes also include the seeds and the veins in order to give more flavor and spiciness to the dish.
• ** Day old tortillas are better for frying since they are dryer and absorb less oil and tend to crisp faster. Just leave them on your kitchen counter overnight, cover with a kitchen napkin or place in your oven at 250 for 10-12 minutes before frying. Or you could bake the tortilla strips instead of frying.
• *** Some cooks prefer not to roast the tomato, onion, and garlic. These ingredients are just chopped and puree in the blender and skipping the roasting step. That is a personal choice.
OPTIONAL GARNISHES:
• · 1 ½ cup of shredded cooked chicken & 1 roasted Poblano Pepper, cut into strips.
• · Chopped onion and cilantro to taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 11gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 1541mgPotassium: 751mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1205IUVitamin C: 35.1mgCalcium: 232mgIron: 1.7mg
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