Make Ahead

Totally Inauthentic Tortilla Soup

by:
January 24, 2010
5
1 Ratings
Totally Inauthentic Tortilla Soup
  • Serves A crowd
Author Notes

I often make this soup on Sunday so we can enjoy a bowl while watching football and then have leftovers galore for lunch during the week. The soup is easy to throw together and everyone loves it. I got the idea to add cream cheese to the soup from my sister in law and I think it is the secret to the soup's success. —melissav

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Soup
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Cumin, divided
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine)
  • 1 10 oz can rotel (or other brand diced tomatoes with chilis) - your choice of heat
  • 1.5 quarts chicken broth
  • 1 14 oz can black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14 oz can corn, rinsed and drained (or fresh, if available)
  • 1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin discarded (or nibbled on by the chef) and meat shredded
  • 2 limes, zest and juice
  • 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems finely minced
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil
  • Toppings
  • grated cheddar or jack cheese
  • sliced avocado
  • quartered limes
  • tortilla chips
  • sliced scallions
Directions
  1. Saute the onion, jalapeño, and pepper in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until soft, 4-5 minutes
  2. Add 2 tsp. of cumin and stir for 45 seconds.
  3. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted and completely incorporated with the onions and peppers. This step is important - if the cream cheese is not completely incorporated, it will clump when you add the broth.
  4. Stir in the rotel and stir until incorporated.
  5. Add the broth and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower heat. Let simmer for 5-8 minutes.
  6. Add the corn, beans, lime zest, remaining 1 tsp of cumin and chicken. Simmer for five more minutes.
  7. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro
  8. Place the toppings in individual bowls.
  9. Serve the soup, allowing each guest to add the toppings of his or her choice.
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  • timmytwinkle
    timmytwinkle
  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef
  • Amanda Hesser
    Amanda Hesser
  • melissav
    melissav

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6 Reviews

Maryann
Maryann January 4, 2017
I thought this was terrific. I made some modifications to make it lower fat. I only used 2T of cream cheese and then once the stock, black beans and tomatoes were added I let them simmer for a bit before pureeing them with my immersion blender. After that, I added the chicken, some frozen corn kernals and more diced tomatoes (without the juice), lime zest and lime juice. This is a go to in my house now! Thanks for the recipe. I am sure the full fat version is decadent!
 
timmytwinkle
timmytwinkle October 29, 2012
This soup was great! I was worried about how powerful the cream cheese taste would be - whether it would taste chalky in the end - but you can't distinguish its taste once you add everything else. Adding both of the limes and cilantro were key! Definitely will make this one again; thanks for the recipe
 
Joanavalyn
Joanavalyn January 26, 2011
My husband has been asking for a chicken tortilla soup that was creamy but not too rich. This recipe is perfect in both regards and easy enough to make for a weeknight. Love, love, love it! Thanks, so much. Joan
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef November 29, 2010
Living and cooking in San Diego, I love your title - but love your recipe even more. A much over-due thumbs up!
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. January 24, 2010
Love your recipe title.
 
melissav
melissav January 25, 2010
Thanks! I wasn't sure what to call it as it goes by many names around here. My friend Eric always asks me when I'm making that Taco Soup again. My husband calls it Chicken Tortilla Soup but I thought that was misleading. So I settled on "Totally Unauthentic Tortilla Soup."