Ingredients
Soup:
- 4 large plum tomatoes
- 1 small white onion or a 1-inch-thick slice of a large white onion, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1 medium dried New Mexico chile, stemmed, seeded, and torn into large pieces
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 corn tortillas, torn into 1-inch pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla strips:
- 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
- Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
- 6 to 8 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, optional for garnish
- Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream, for serving
- 2 avocados, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes or slices
- 1 queso fresco or mild feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
Soup: Heat a heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, peeled onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast, turning frequently, until the garlic is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic when soft, but slightly blackened. Peel the garlic and set aside. Add the chile and continue to cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the onion and set aside. Continue to cook the tomatoes until charred and blackened, another 5 minutes. Put the garlic, chile, onion, tomatoes, tortillas, and 2 cups chicken broth in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan and add the remaining 4 cups chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Tortilla strips: In a medium, heavy skillet, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 1/2 an inch. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
To serve, ladle the soup into 6 individual serving bowls. Serve whole chipotle chiles, Mexican sour cream, avocados, cheese, and tortilla strips on the side.
Notes
The blended corn tortillas act as thickeners. This soup should not be as thick as a cream soup, but should have some body.
1 Video | Photo: Classic Tortilla Soup Recipe

















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By meems14
New York, NY
on May 06, 2013
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Terrible. My husband and I cook a lot, and this was, by far, the worst recipe we made in awhile. We followed the recipe to a T, and it was not good. It had no taste whatsoever. It was watery and flavorless. We do not recommend this to anyone who has tasted tortilla soup at a good Mexican restaurant.
By iustacey
Chandler, AZ
on March 01, 2013
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Best recipe so far! And I've tried quite a few. Of course I made a few adjustments like adding rotisserie chicken and cilantro. But I love the roasted garlic and tomato flavor. And just the right amount of spice! Perfect for a cold night.
By bmangels_7638594
Los Angeles, CA
on January 26, 2013
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This is a great tortilla soup! I will make it many times. One note, I added about 1/2 tea spoon of cuman
Read all 54 reviews