Vegetarian Tortilla Soup – My Way

In our house, I am defiantly the obsessive health advocate. The person who keeps her kids from spending their lives in front of a computer, with a bowl of something carby, greasy or processed. But the truth is that everyone, even those of us hell-bent on staying healthy, has at least one guilty pleasure.

Mine is … burritos!

I have to say that I’ve done a pretty decent job not indulging in burritos too often. To keep those one-thousand-calorie monsters at bay, I feed my Mexican Food Addiction with healthier authentic options, like the Mexican salad, the guac and the tortilla soup.

This Vegetarian Tortilla Soup recipe, that I share with you today, went through lots of iterations before making its way onto CuceeSprouts. Years of “hard work” and “heavy user testing” have produced a final variation that is uber flavorful, filling, yet surprisingly light (as long as you go easy on the rice and the sour cream) and very quick to make. Make the base, add the yummies, pour yourself a glass of Muga Prado Enea and have a Mexican Dinner Night tonight!

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup – My Way

The base

• 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of black beans
• ¼ cup Peruvian corn (or regular corn)
• Stems from a bunch of fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

The yummies (toppings)

• Rice
• Tortilla chips
• Lime juice
• Avocado
• Cheese
• Sour cream
• Extra cilantro

Directions

1. In a medium size pot, warm up the broth
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions begin to brown
3. Add the garlic and the cumin and cook for another minute
4. Transfer to blender, with a can of roasted tomatoes. Blend until smooth
5. Transfer the tomato and onion mixture to the pot with the broth. Add the beans and the corn and simmer, partially covered, until the soup is slightly thickened, about 30-60 minutes (the longer = the better!)
6. A few minutes before you turn the heat of, blend the stems from the cilantro with ½ cup of water in a blender. Add to pot
7. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat
8. Ladle the soup into bowls, leaving lots of room for the toppings

Wine Pairing

I do have a soft spot for the California wines, but when it comes to Mexican food, it is Beaujolais, Rioja, and Ribera del Duero that make it into my glass. For this particular dish, I recommend the silky 2005 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva. It is hard to find it in stores, so order it in advance on Amazon or Wine.com