Cooks Illustrated Tortilla Soup Recipes

THE WORLD'S BEST TORTILLA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cans of chicken broth and canned tomatoes. Add fresh tomatoes.
• Mix Anaheim chile peppers, jalapeno pepper, cumin, chili powder, and pepper into the pot. Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer soup until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.
• Ladle soup into serving bowls; twist 1 lime wedge into each bowl. Top with corn chips, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, avocado slices, and cilantro.

TORTILLA SOUP WITH CHICKEN AND LIME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 1 side of tortillas with oil; cut in half. Stack halves and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Spread strips on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet.
• Combine broth, water, tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, cumin and red pepper in saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken; simmer until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in green onions, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with tortilla strips and serve.

SHORTCUT TORTILLA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Arrange chilies and tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place a few inches away from broiling element. Cook until charred on one side, then flip them with tongs and char other side, about 5 to 8 minutes total. When cool, skin, stem and seed chilies, then chop them.
• Put oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and chilies, crushing tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano; add stock or water and adjust heat so mixture simmers gently. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, crushing tomatoes from time to time. (You can prepare soup up to this point in advance. Let it sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and finishing.)
• Stir in tortilla chips and simmer another three to five minutes. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper, then garnish if desired and serve with lime wedges.