From My Kitchen: Tortilla Soup

We got more snow again today, so it's still soup season here! Really, winter has gone on long enough. I'm ready for the seasons to change so I can change up my menus and get out of what's starting to feel like a food rut around here.

Today I pulled out this tortilla soup recipe I got from my sister Mary. I haven't made it in a while, and I was up for something a little zippy. You can vary the heat according to your taste. I usually use mild salsa and add a little red pepper or chipotle or even jalepeno if I want more heat. As a bonus, you can make this in the crockpot.

Here's the recipe:

Tortilla Soup

3 (15 oz.) cans chicken broth

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped (You can use split breasts, which are cheaper than boneless.)

2 carrots, chopped

1 (15 oz.) can chunky salsa (I use mild, but spice it up if you want.)

2 green onions, sliced

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

soft flour tortillas or tortilla chips

fresh cilantro

Combine the chicken broth, cooked chicken (I like to poach mine, but you can bake it, too.), carrots, salsa and green onions in a large pot or your crockpot. Cook until carrots are soft, or about 6 hours on low. Just before serving stir in cheese.

Use a pizza cutter to slice tortillas into wide strips. Place them in bowls and ladle soup over. If you prefer a little crunch, skip the soft tortilla strips and garnish with tortilla chips. Sprinkle with fresh, chopped cilantro.

I often add a little cooked rice to this. Today I added about a cup of brown rice I had leftover from supper the other night. I generally don't use soft tortilla strips (which act like noodles when they soak up the soup) when I include rice. I also threw in a little garlic, which was delish. So don't be afraid to play around with this one.

If winter must continue to hang around, a nice bowl of steamy, hot tortilla soup makes it a little more bearable.

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2011