As a serious cilantrophobe, I've never been a fan of tortilla soup. Actually, to be fair, I'd only ever tried it once when my friends took me to "tortilla soup Tuesdays" at Houston's Restaurant, but when the bowl came served with a heaping glob of that detestable herb, I'd seen enough. Or so I thought. Two Christmases ago, my Nana gave me a box of local tortilla soup mix from my hometown. After whipping it up one night (and adding my own vegetable touches), I was persuaded to give tortilla soup a second chance - as long as cilantro was nowhere to be found. We've been unable to find the same soup mix since, so for Valentine's day last year, I modified a recipe that would satisfy my sweetie's zest for spicy soup (and my aversion to cilantro soapy food). I can't believe it's been almost a year since we've made this soup because, honestly, it was the talk of the table for quite some time (Seriously - I know the exact date I made it because I e-mailed the recipe to anyone who'd listen).
I should note: I am a total wimp with spicy food. The first time Lana (the pal who introduced me to buttermilk biscuits) cooked me dinner in college she phoned me to ask, "do you want spicy or non-spicy curry?" I specified non-spicy, but wound up with tears streaming down my face from the kick. I can't even imagine what would have happened if I had pretended to be more brave and asked for spicy! My tolerance has definitely fortified since then as I've dabbled with more flavors, but it's still nowhere near Lucas's. This tortilla soup packs a punch, even for Lucas. For the more timid taste buds like mine, I left off the extra crumble of chili garnish. Adjusting this topping to taste makes the soup just the right amount of spicy for every ability level.
Tonight is part FOUR of the whole roasted chicken chronicles (who knew that one chicken could spread so far?). I prefer my soups to have a fair amount of substance, so I added shredded chicken breast, fresh corn, and black beans to the recipe's base. To make the dish even healthier, I baked (not fried) my tortilla strips, and drizzled the soup with nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream (but I kept the cheese, of course).
And, because I used my pre-roasted chicken, the prep (and dishes) was very simple; it only took about 30 minutes of hands-on time. I suppose you could add cilantro (if you're crazy) to the soup, but the fiery chili flavors are superb without, making it perfect for fellow anti-cilantro folk. And, soup freezes really well also making it a perfect meal-for-one kind of recipe.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 dried pasilla chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and seeded
- 2 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed
- ½ pound about 2-3 roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth diluted with 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ears of corn, steamed and cut off the cob
- ½ can of black beans, strained
- 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (last time I made the soup, I used shredded cheddar cheese and it was just as delicious)
- Small plain nonfat yogurt, diluted with 2 parts yogurt to 1 part water.
- 6 corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS
- Toast chiles in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds to a minute. Coarsely crumble/chop 1 pasilla chile and set aside.
- Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles de árbol (including seeds), remaining 3 pasilla chiles, ½ cup broth to a food processor and purée until smooth (this might take a few minutes, but hang in there- those darn chiles are tough).
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot (at least 3.5 quarts) over medium heat until it simmers. Add purée and cook stirring frequently, until reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add remaining 7 ½ cups broth, oregano, salt, corn, black beans, and chicken, then simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Slice into strips (or triangles) and lay flat on a cookie sheet (do not overlap or they won't cook properly). Bake for 5-8 minutes until curled up and lightly browned, watching carefully after 5 minutes, as tortillas burn quickly.
- Serve in soup bowls. Sprinkle with cheese, drizzle with yogurt, and top with crumbled chile (to taste) and tortilla crisps.
The Sundress Chef -
Way too many of my friends do not like cilantro, but love tortilla soup, so this recipe is perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks for reading! I hope your friends enjoy it (cilantro haters unite!:)
Michelle/Mickle in NZ -
Hooray - someone else who loathes cilantro. By way of contrast I love this recipe and will be adding your blog to my food favourites.
It is difficult to get all the varieties of chiles that you have here in New Zealand but I'm sure I'll find a chile type to substitute. Happy Cooking!
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much! Try poblanos to substitute for the pasilla chiles (I almost had to do this because my market’s shelves were totally cleared of pasilla chiles). Goodluck!
Denise -
Love spicy food, but I'm a serious cilantro-hater, just like you:) So thanks for this recipe!
Jen -
No lie, I got up a did a dance when I saw this recipe. Cilantro haters of the world unite! I have just bookmarked this, and will be trying it ASAP.
Sarah Menanix -
Yay! My blog is 100% cilantro-free:) Let me know how you like the soup when you cook it!
Sheri Sanders Nix -
I made this today and it is really tasty! I had to use canned plum tomatoes since the roma's at our grocery store were nearly green. I also threw the entire can of black beans in the pot since I knew they would just go to waste if I didn't. Note to self, do not rub your eyes after handling peppers...
Sarah Menanix -
Haha, I licked my fingers after getting frosting from our landlord's son's cupcakes on them...SPICY frosting. mmm...
Tina -
Fantastic pictures! Love it :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks! Can't wait to see all your Super Bowl snacks!
Tina -
Haha, there's only going to be a cupcakes post, I'm afraid. Once Superbowl time rolled around I was way too stressed out to take pictures....