About this Recipe

By: Rachel

Homemade tortilla soup is one of those deceptively simple dishes. Its taste is somehow at once comforting and spicy; rustic and complex. While it is delicious just as it is—pure and savory—most people like to customize their portions with varied ingredients and toppings. My tortilla soup recipe is uncomplicated, and I provide lots of options for delicious toppings to make this soup your own.

Great Soups Are Made With Love

A truly great broth is like a love letter. It takes time and patience to coax complex flavor out of simple, humble ingredients. When I make my chicken matzo ball soup, I take at least 12 hours. I roast the bones, add months’ worth of saved vegetable scraps, and simmer the whole thing gently while making sure it never comes to a boil. I taste it over and over until I have achieved the perfect balance of flavors.

Of course, you can make stock more simply and quickly when you need to. But when you have time, take the time to let your flavors deepen and develop slowly.

You can find my recipes for Rich, Homemade Chicken Stock and Umami Vegetable Stock here.

Tortilla Soup: A Beloved Mexican Tradition

Tortilla soup—which typically appears on menus in Mexico as sopa Azteca—takes beautiful, long-simmered stock to the next level. Aromatics, herbs, and chiles (both dried and fresh) help to create the complex, layered flavor profiles that make spicy tortilla soup so memorable. Once you have tried it, you cannot forget the incredible flavors.

How To Customize Your Tortilla Soup

This tortilla soup recipe is endlessly customizable. It can be served on its own, perhaps with a simple garnish of fried corn tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, or a dollop of sour cream. It can be ladled over rice and black beans for a more substantial meal, maybe with a sprinkling of jack cheese on top. Try adding shredded chicken, roasted corn, cubes of queso fresco, fresh avocado, or all of the above! Homemade tortilla soup is especially delicious when you add your favorite toppings.

Serving Suggestions for Tortilla Soup

When you serve a Mexican meal, tortilla soup makes a great first choice. Enchiladas are always a great choice—try my Enchiladas Suizas or Birria Enchiladas as a second course to this soup. Or for a fun, customizable option, try these Homemade Fajitas with Beef, Chicken, or Vegetables.

Below, Olivia suggests pairing this spicy tortilla soup with light, versatile wine or beer. Also, you can never go wrong with a champagne margarita!

Beverage Pairing

By: Olivia

A light beverage would be best with this tortilla soup, since you do not want to overpower the aromatics, herbs, and chiles. Versatile wines like Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry Riesling will brighten the soup without overwhelming the flavors. Similarly, light beer styles like Pilsner or Lager are .

Tortilla Soup

Comforting and versatile, tortilla soup makes for a perfect light meal any day of the week.

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Ready In 40

Meal Type Soup

Good For Comfort, Mexican

Yield servings

Equipment

Chef's Knife
Cutting board
Medium stockpot
Cast-iron skillet
High-Powered Blender or immersion blender
Immersion Blender or high-powered blender

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion diced
5 cloves garlic smashed
2 medium pasilla negra chiles roughly chopped
2 roasted poblano peppers skin and seeds removed, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano (do not substitute regular oregano!)
1 can (14 ounces or 400g) fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cups (700mL) chicken stock
2 corn tortillas toasted and roughly chopped

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

In a medium, heavy stockpot, heat the olive oil until moderately hot.
Add the diced onion, smashed garlic, and dried chiles. One of the nice things about this soup is that it is puréed, so you don’t have to worry about chopping your ingredients evenly!
Allow the ingredients to sauté over medium heat for 5-7 minutes (you want to develop depth of flavor, but do not allow the ingredients to burn).

Step 2

Add the roasted chiles, Mexican oregano and fire-roasted tomatoes and stir to combine.
Do not substitute regular oregano!
While the name is similar, Mexican oregano is a completely different ingredient with a completely different flavor profile. If you do not have Mexican oregano, simply omit it.