So I have had these leftover tortilla shells hanging around the house. They were getting dried out and hard.
Oh, so nasty.
But I am also not one to waste food. It has become one of my pet peeves. That is when I began looking for recipes for Tortilla Soup. I was rewarded when I found a recipe at Simply Recipes that made four servings. With seven of us at the table I knew I had to double the recipe.
Tortilla Soup with toppings
The day that I was making soup was going to be a busy day as I wanted to be out in the garden as much as possible and the husband wanted to do a hike with the kids and the dog.
Hello, crockpot!
Garlic, Banana Pepper and Onion
So I start the basis of the broth by dicing a medium onion and a deseeded banana pepper with a pressed clove of garlic. Then I sauted them together in a pan. Once they were ready, I placed the mixture in the crockpot with the broth mixture.
Broth of Tortilla Soup
The crockpot contained 6 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of water, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup of diced Roma tomatoes from my garden and one can of chicken (drained). I usually rinse and drain the chicken because I hate the salt content in canned chicken. This mixture was in the crockpot for about 4-5 hours.
Tortilla Strips
About a half an hour before serving the meal I cut my five flour tortillas into strips. Then I made my frying pan smoking hot, added a little sesame seed and threw in the strips. Once they were browned, I put them into a bowl for serving.
This is how I set up each bowl. I put a handful of tortillas in each bowl – more or less depending on who was eating it. Then I gave each bowl a ladleful of the soup. Each person was free to put on their own toppings. The kids choose cheese or sour cream. I did avacado slices and cheese. The husband did chives, avacado, sour cream and cheese (he believes that more is more).
The end result? Empty bowls all around the table and only enough leftovers for one lunch.
Guess they liked it.
What has been a big hit in your house?
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
Yummy suggestions! I must make tortillas more often, I reckon.
I could almost smell that!!!
My family definitely likes soup. Whenever I buy a ham hock, I’ll make split pea/lentil. That usually disappears without a drop.
I love split pea soup. But my kids are not big fans.
Looks delicious! Today it’s cold and rainy. Perfect weather for a crock pot soup!
Oh,yes. And this is a good one to serve. My kids liked it but then again, I did not make it all that spicy.
Next time I make this soup, I might add black beans to it.
Great idea! and, yes, black beans would be delicious.
This looks yum! I am going to try it as well. The air’s become nippy now, and it’s just the right time to begin soup-ing. Thanks, Rumbly.
You are welcome. Stop back anytime.
Sounds good. That’s how my honey cooks, pulls together what he finds in the fridge. Waste not, want not.
Absolutely!
Good idea. I am familiar with those dry hard tortillas!
I think the Frugal Gourmet would be proud.
That sounds lovely! I almost never make tortilla soup, which is a shame, because I have plenty of tortillas, living in Mexico… I’ll make it one of these days!
It was a good soup and we eat tacos enough that I usually have some leftovers.