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Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

By Diane UngerSeptember 14, 2020

  • Makes
    4-6 servings
  • Cook Time
    40 minutes
  • Rating

Our take on sopa de tortilla is a simple, homestyle tortilla soup like the one made for us by home cook Jazmín Martínez in Mexico City. It is pureed for smoothness; contrasting colors, flavors and textures are added with garnishes. For the best results, ripe tomatoes are key—in non-summer months, we find Campari tomatoes to be a good option, as well as cherry or grape tomatoes. The tomatoes need only to be cored before they’re tossed into the pot (cherry or grape tomatoes can be used whole). Tortilla chips, called totopos in Mexico, are used in two ways: they’re cooked and pureed with the base to thicken the soup, then fresh chips are added to the serving bowls before the soup is ladled in.

Tip

Don’t blend all of the soup mixture at once. If the blender jar is too full with hot liquid, when the machine is turned on, the rapid burst of steam may loosen the lid and cause splattering.

Ingredients
  • 2

    tablespoons lard or neutral oil

  • 1

    large white onion, halved and thinly sliced

  • 6

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 2

    jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and sliced

  • 1

    teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1

    bunch cilantro, stems roughly chopped, leaves chopped, reserved separately

  • 2

    pounds ripe tomatoes (see note), cored

  • 2

    cups yellow or white tortilla chips, plus more to serve

  • 1½

    quarts low-sodium chicken broth

  • 1

    teaspoon white sugar

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • Sour cream or crumbled cotija cheese, to serve

  • Diced avocado, to serve (optional)

Step 1

In a large pot over medium-high, heat the lard until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeños, cumin and cilantro stems, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes, tortilla chips, broth and sugar. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to medium and cook, stirring, at a simmer, until the tomatoes have softened and their skins begin to peel away, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Remove the pot from the heat and cool, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Using a blender and working in batches so the jar is never more than half full, puree the mixture until smooth; transfer each batch to a large bowl.

Step 3

Wipe out the pot, then pour in the puree. Cook over medium, stirring often, until heated, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir in half of the chopped cilantro leaves.

To serve, add tortilla chips to individual bowls, then ladle in soup. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped cilantro leaves and top with sour cream and avocado (if using).

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