Tortilla Soup

I first tried a version of this soup many, many moons ago.  One of my co-workers made this in the employee kitchen on a Cinco de Mayo and made the whole office smell luscious.    I really enjoyed the aroma, flavors, colors and textures.  But in order to make this soup a "go" for my carnivorous man, I added protein in the form of ground beef and beans.


Recipe courtesy of Greg Starup (options ala Lynette)

Tortilla Soup

• 4 T butter
• 1 lb. diced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 C. chicken broth
• 2 lbs. diced tomatoes (or 1 qt. jar or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 lb. diced mild green chilies
• Tabasco to taste
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Tortilla chips
• Optional: 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
• Optional: 1 qt. jar or 2 cans pinto, black or Great Northern beans  
• Optional:1 C corn
• Optional: Sour cream to garnish
• Optional: Chopped chives to garnish
•  Optional: Sliced avocado to garnish

1. Saute onion in melted butter until almost translucent.   Add minced garlic and saute.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes or transfer to crock pot on LOW.
3. To serve, place tortilla chips in bowl, then soup.  Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado and/or chives.

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