Tortilla Soup

There is nothing like a good, hearty soup for dinner when it's cold out! Tortilla Soup is a favorite in our family. We have tried a few and there was one we fell in love with but when I ran the numbers the calories were frightening! Seriously, it was a heart attack in a bowl! I went over the recipe and tweaked it just enough to slim it down and add some things we like. It's a pretty forgiving soup so if you need to keep tweaking it for your family you should be able to do so without compromising flavor or texture. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 whole garlic clove
1 TBS olive oil
4 (15 oz.) cans fat free chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 ounces taco seasoning
10 (6") corn tortillas, broken into small pieces
15 oz. cooked, diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup 1% milk
Shredded Cheese (we like Monterey Jack)
Light Sour Cream
Corn Chips*

Saute carrots, celery, onion and garlic in olive oil; add broth and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, chicken, taco seasoning and tortilla pieces and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 20 minutes or until tortilla pieces are fully dissolved. Reduce heat, add milk and simmer 10 more minutes.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, corn chips and what ever other toppings your family desires. Without the toppings the recipe has about 100 calories per cup. The first day the soup is very mild; if you prefer it spicier add some cayenne and/or chili powder. We will also top ours with pepper jack instead of Monterey Jack. This keeps it milk for the kids but spicier for the adults. The spiciness increases the longer you refrigerate it.

*Corn Chips: The original recipe calls for cutting flour or corn tortillas into strips and frying them in oil until crispy. This tastes good but I'm lazy so I usually just buy some Fritos. :D Corn tortilla chips are also good. I even like this soup without anything added to it.