What’s your idea of heaven on earth? Not in a heavy philosophical sense, but what would your dream world look like? In my utopia, the clouds are made of cream cheese frosting. Fresh coffee appears in a mug on my nightstand every morning (splash of cream, please). Daylight lasts until 9 pm every night. Cookie lives forever by my side and I only have to go to one grocery store to get everything on my list.
Better yet, the ingredients magically appear in my kitchen when I need them. That would be beyond amazing. I spend so much time tracking down the right ingredients for blog recipes between the three grocery stores that I frequent. It’s exhausting.
I got a little taste of what my heaven would be like this week when I received a box containing ingredients and recipes for three wholesome dinners courtesy of Blue Apron. I picked up the box at the UPS Store and worked up an appetite carrying it all four blocks back to my apartment. Once I finally got home, I tore into the box and found a giant head of fresh escarole on top. Greens! Delivered! I was starving and wasted no time getting to work on dinner.
All three recipes seemed like they could be made in well under an hour, but I chose the quickest one, the white bean and escarole chili. As instructed, I prepared the vegetables in advance, which made everything flow easily. (Note to self: prep more for easier cooking.) The onion and garlic that I chopped were sizzling when I poured pre-measured amounts of cumin and coriander into the pot. Dang, that was easy.
I got my first taste of teff, too, which is an ingredient I’ve been meaning to try. I learned about teff from the recipe card while the soup simmered away on the stove. (FYI: teff originated in Ethiopia and provides all of the essential amino acids). And just like that, dinner was ready. It was absolutely delicious. The card said the soup yielded two servings, but it made enough for four servings for me. Grocery delivery might be the closest I can get to heaven on earth.
Blue Apron asked me to share one of their many vegetarian recipes with you today and I chose the tortilla soup. Of all recipes that call for chicken, tortilla soup might be the only one that I’ve missed since giving up chicken and beef over 3 (or 4?) years ago. Giving up meat required an adjustment period as I found other foods to replace my old standbys. Most of the substitutions were not exact replacements. Chicken fingers are no longer part of my diet, and to make up for lost protein, I found myself eating more beans and eggs over time. My plates became more colorful and more interesting.
Tortilla soup was the one meal that got away. Now, I’m glad I’ve found a homemade replacement for the salty bowls of chicken tortilla soup that I used to order at chain restaurants. My version is more fresh and flavorful, too. That just seems to be the way meatless meals go.
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
A hearty, quick and delicious tortilla soup made from scratch. In case you can’t find dried chili peppers or hominy at the store, I’ve provided substitution suggestions in the recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1 dried smoked chili pepper or 1 poblano pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced.
- 1 to 2 medium jalapeños (optional, use one for medium spicy soup and two for spicy soup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes or chunky tomato sauce*
- 32 ounces (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 14-ounce can hominy, rinsed and drained (optional)
- 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- Sea salt
- 6 corn tortillas (6-inch, taco-sized)
- 1 avocado
- 2 to 4 radishes, sliced into super thin rounds
- 2 ounces queso fresco or feta cheese (optional), crumbled
- 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 lime, sliced into small wedges
Instructions
- Prep work: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Stack the tortillas and slice them into ½-inch-wide, 2-inch-long strips. Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno (and poblano, if using) and chop the peppers. Wash your hands. Pit, peel, and medium dice the avocado, then squeeze some lime juice over the avocado to prevent browning.
- Bake the tortillas: Coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil. Toss the tortilla strips in the oil to coat and arrange the strips in a single layer. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown. While the strips are hot, season them with salt.
- Toast the chili pepper: Place the dried chili pepper onto a baking sheet and bake for about 1 minute, or until the pepper is warmed through. When cool enough to handle, cut the pepper open and remove the seeds. (Wash your hands afterward and avoid touching your eyes!)
- Make the soup: In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat some olive oil on medium until hot. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and poblano peppers (if using). Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cumin, then the canned tomatoes and vegetable stock. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then add the hominy, black beans and the seeded chili pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup: First, discard the dried chili pepper. Place some of the avocado, radishes, tortilla strips, and queso fresco (or feta) at the bottom of 2 to 4 bowls. Divide the soup between the bowls. Top the soup with the remaining avocado, radishes, tortilla strips, and queso fresco (or feta). Garnish with some cilantro and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Blue Apron’s tortilla soup with hominy and queso fresco recipe.
- Recipe yields 4 moderate servings.
- *I used Muir Glen’s chunky tomato sauce. It comes in a BPA-free, 28-ounce can. I saved the leftover sauce for pizza but I probably could have just added it to the pot.
- To make this recipe vegan/dairy free, just skip the feta cheese.
- To make this soup gluten free, buy certified gluten-free corn tortillas.
▸ Nutrition Information
If you’d like to give Blue Apron a try, you can get 30 percent off your first box with this special link. Offer ends November 30, 2013.
Here are some more vegetarian Blue Apron recipes to check out:
- Warm Winter Sweet Potato Salad on Naturally Ella
- Roasted Vegetable Kebabs with Curried Chickpeas and Yogurt Sauce on Oh My Veggies
- Pumpkin Vegetable Potage with Toasted Farro on A Thought for Food
- Ligurian Chard with Pine Nuts and Feta on Veggie Belly
- Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheese on I Heart Vegetables
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Blue Apron. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who allow me to serve up more recipes. Opinions are my own, always.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Anna
Tried this today, it’s super good. I didn’t use any hot peppers just chilli flakes and used white cheddar because we didn’t have feta.
yum!! my boyfriend loved it too.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Anna!
Kai
This was a great addition to the vegetarian potluck.
Taste and presentation both ( though I added adobo for salt and more cumin for flavor).
Ultimately it was delicious and everyone went back for seconds.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for commenting! I’m glad it was such a hit, Kai.
Jackie L
This recipe looks delicious! I don’t happen to have Dutch oven, would this be possible to make in a crock pot? Thanks
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Jackie! I haven’t made it in a crock pot, but I believe others have tried it. I would still recommend to saute the vegetables as that is where you get the flavor.
Katie
Delicious added some zucchini and capsicum in to bulk out the veges and tasted great. Really easy to make.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Katie!
MEGHAN PALMER
This might be a silly question, but when it says 402 calories / serves 4, does that mena 402 calories per serving, or total? Either way, made this last week and am still eating it. Delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! The nutritional information is per serving and there are 4 servings total. If that makes sense? See more on my nutritional information here:https://cookieandkate.com/nutrition-disclaimer/
Mary
Looooooved this! We are not spice people so I omitted the jalapeños. SO GOOD!! Thank you so much for sharing this! Didn’t even miss the meat.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Mary!
Lynn Sandman
This soup is delicious.
Can seem daunting with the smoked pepper but isn’t at all.
Love that its vegetarian and love the addition of hominy.
Thank you for all these vegetarian recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it!
Caitlin
This has been a favorite around here for years! I triple the cumin and throw in a TBSP and I also only seed 1 jalapeño. Always delicious and reliable!
★★★★★
Brad
Kate, We love this recipe and make it quite often; however, each time I prepare it I wrestle with the poblano/chili pepper distinction and what exactly I am supposed to do with each, depending on which I use. Any way of clarifying that a bit for this forgetful, old and apparently senile man?
Kate
See step 1 & 3. I hope this helps, Brad!
Terry
Gosh I wish I had searched down in the comments before I went shopping. I was also very confused about the dried chili vs “fresh” poblano. I assumed by the ingredients list you were saying we could use a dried chili or dried poblano for seasoning so I didn’t buy either. We love fresh poblanos and now as I’m prepping the soup wish I had bought a fresh one to include. All well, it’ll be better next time!
KatieMc
HI Brad,
I know this is a little late but maybe this will clear things up…you use either a dried chili pepper OR a fresh poblano pepper. If you use the fresh poblano, you follow step #1 (along with the jalapeno). If you use a dried chili pepper, follow step #3 (and only use the jalapeno in step #1).
Kaitlin
Thanks Katiemc, I was confused by the instructions for the peppers as well – your response helped clear it up for me!
Steve
This is my first time to try your recipes. It was easy to make and was full of fantastic flavors. It’s a keeper. I had the leftovers a few nights after I had made it and it tasted even better. Now I’m inspired to try one of your curries.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy this soup inspired you to try more recipes, Steve! Thank you for your review.
Caroline
I love soup but my husband doesn’t. I made this one night and he LOVED it. He even said I could put this in our weekly rotation. I can’t describe how much we love this recipe. I’ve made it for so many people and everyone raves over it. So easy, so tasty, and so filling.
★★★★★
Kate
I appreciate your review, Caroline!
Shelly
Whipped this up for a quick dinner tonight and it was delicious. Didn’t have hominy on hand, so I used frozen corn as a substitute. Didn’t have radishes because my husband snacked on them (I was so disappointed in him, lol). Next time, I’ll hide the radishes!
★★★★★
Bri
I have made this a couple times now and love how easy it comes together. I love the addition of radishes. Also you can’t skip the hominy, it adds a lot of color and texture.
Carol
Can this tortilla soup be frozen?
Kate
Yes, it can! All non-dairy soups freeze well.
Lexie
I’ve been making your recipes for YEARS and many dishes are weekly staples that me and my non-vegetarian fiancé love. This recipe was to die for. In New York City and haven’t been to a restaurant since March. This was on par with anything I could order. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Nina in CLE
Just thought I’d comment here though I haven’t actually made the recipe yet (I WILL, and sooon!) I was in the mood for some great black bean soup with a Mexican bend, so I looked around and saw yours. I love the ingredients here and hominy is definitely present in grocery stores here. But here’s the thing: I just bought your gorgeous, delicious-ness filled cookbook for my (omnivore) sister, of course I looked through the book first (actually wanted it myself but it was a big ‘zero-numbered’ birthday for her and she’d wanted cookbooks so..) and almost salivated right over the photos..Well, I love soup so of course I had to check out those recipes immediately. But of course the cookbook had to be wrapped and packaged (she lives in another state). After a few days I couldn’t get that Tortilla Black bean soup w/sweet potatoes off my mind, so decided to look here to see if you had a similar recipe and, voila, here it is. I live in Cleveland and we are just now starting to get consistently colder weather here so it’s DEF time for black bean soup! This looks so good! I’ll add sweet potatoes to it because BB’s and SP’s are so compatible! Would it be good to use 1 medium sweet pot. or 2 for this recipe? Also if I put in another can of black beans should I reduce some other ingredients or just use a decent sized pot and lastly, I wanted to use adobo sauce instead of the smoked poblano, would a 1/2 cup be a good amount, or less? Know you work pretty hard on perfecting your recipes and I want to respect the integrity while still being a tad creative with things for economic reasons, as I just can’t risk going to Whole Foods for the more interesting ingredients (like dried peppers, which I likely won’t use again) and coming back with other ‘off-list’, way-off-budget, groceries, like for example the Mexican cheese here which sounds awesome.. Let me know on the above substitutions if you get a chance to read this. BTW, w/ the cookbook, I am an all-out dog lover, as is my sis, and one more thing that I know she’ll love as I do is the wonderful shots of very photogenic Cookie her and there. This cookbook (and the recipes there of course) ROCKS! Thanks, Kathryne.
Kate
Hi Nina! Thank you for your excitement! I really think it’s a matter of taste and preference with those adjustments. Increasing the ingredients will lead to a thicker consistency and you may need more liquid to get everything cooked. Without trying it with your adjustments, I can’t say for sure. For the adobo sauce, be mindful as it can be quite spicy so be cautious as you add that.
Kim
I love this soup so much, it’s definitely part of my soup rotation and so nice to have for breakfast or lunch.
Kate, just wanted to share that I adapted this recipe to share with the clients of the food bank I work for and I expect they will love it. We had dried chilies to give out and lots of cans of tomatoes and beans so I simplified the recipe slightly and made bags including all the vegetables and cans with a packet of the spices (I added some smoked paprika too per my usual) so they can make it themselves easily. We showed your lovely photo as an example to sell them and all 30 bags were gone by the 40th car, so it was very popular. Next time I think I’ll try adapting your simplified channa masala (with ground ginger) to give out all those pesky garbanzos stacking up. It’s challenging to think of recipes that fit this model and require no extra equipment, so thanks again for the simple, delicious recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it and were able to adapt it to share with such a large group! I appreciate your review, Kim.
Annie
Absolutely delicious! Left the seeds in jalapenos and substituted hominy with chickpeas. Also added sweet corn because I had it. Thank you for another amazing recipe!!
★★★★★
Meg
This soup is soooo good. I will definitely be making this again. I will say, the original recipe only calls for salt and pepper and that is definitely not enough to season the broth. I seasoned the broth with lots of salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and cayenne and it turned out perfect. I also used a guajillo instead of a poblano, not sure if that made a difference in taste but this is definitely a new favorite :)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Meg! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Annemarie G
I’ve made a lot versions of tortilla soup but this one was delicious ( and easy to make). I’m saving it and this will be my go to recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I love that! Thank you for taking the time to review, Annemarie.
Christina
So delicious! I loved it as did my meat eater husband. Normally he just picks at vegetarian soups, but he went back for seconds with this one. This is a keeper for sure. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Christina! I’m glad it was a hit with your husband as well.
Robin Meredith Foster
omg, so good. I made mine in the instant pot. I didn’t have to sautee anything. I waited until the instant pot had finished cooking the dried black beans and added the tofurky and imitation sausage once the rest had cooked.. I also waited to add the hominy which I bought canned. I substitute the tomatoes for a 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes in a 15 oz can of tomato sauce. I added in food process cherry tomatoes. I doubled the cumin. Instead of radishes I dropped in fresh zucchini to the bottom of the bowl. It made it a little bit “fresh”. 4 large corn tortillas in that oven at 400 for about 15 minutes and added some on top. I found vegan feta cheese avocado and cilantro really make it taste great of course the lime. I use the whole poblano and jalepeno. very smoky and red this time.
This version was much better than the version that I made in the Dutch oven or crock pot.
cook time instant pot: 27 mins on high
let steam out after 20 minutes self release.
★★★★★
Lynn
I’ve made this soup several times! It’s so delicious! I love it leftover! Thank you for sharing:)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Lynn! Thank you for your review.