Vegan Tortilla Soup

soup vegan hearty spicy
recipe image

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Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil
  • 1 medium-sized white onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, de-seeded, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded, diced
  • 1-2 jalapenos, de-seeded, small dice (optional)
  • Fresh lime, cut into squeezable slices
  • 32 oz vegetable stock
  • ~14 oz can diced tomatoes, don’t drain - high quality matters (fire roasted if available)
  • ~14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ~28 oz can white hominy, drained and rinsed
  • ~8 oz corn, frozen (fire roasted if available)
  • 1-2 cups water (if needed)
  • 2-3 tsp kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper, fresh cracked (smoked if available)
  • 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 to 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground garlic powder (I prefer this over fresh in soup)

Toppings & Additions

  • Tortilla chips
  • Queso fresco (if not going vegan)
  • Sour cream (not vegan, Cacique crema is good, and at Hornbacher’s usually)
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Diced pickled jalapenos
  • Hot sauce (I put chili garlic Cholula in the soup I brought into the office)
  • sliced, air-fried or baked corn tortilla strips (but who has the time)

Directions

  1. Cook onion and peppers on medium-low heat, salted to release water (couple pinches, 1 tsp probably).
  2. When vegetables are half-cooked, add all the dried spices.
  3. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes and another pinch of salt.
  4. Cook until all veggies look done and the spices get really fragrant.
  5. Add stock, beans, hominy and corn.
  6. Mix and take a quick taste. If a little flat, add a pinch of salt, but not too much.
  7. If the soup is too ‘full/thick’ with veggies, add some water. If water is added, you will most likely need to add more salt at the end.
  8. Keep the heat at medium-low, and bring up to a simmer.
  9. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
  10. Before considering the soup to be done, taste for salt, and add some if the flavor feels flat. Only add a small amount of salt at a time. Sometimes a little black pepper can be needed.
  11. When serving, add a squeeze of lime.

Notes

If you want a version that isn’t vegan:

  • Swap the vegetable stock with chicken stock.
  • Swap hominy with shredded chicken (or keep both), use a rotisserie chicken for convenience.
  • You might need more stock or water if using chicken.