Tortilla Soup Gumbo
Create a cozy and comforting meal with this Tortilla Soup Gumbo. The recipe is easy to follow and customize with aromatics and veg.
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Soup is such a cozy and comforting meal, and this tortilla soup gumbo hits all my favorites about soup. Customizable, favorable, hearty, warm, and just comforting.
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Making the Soup
This is just the cooking and other recipe details. For the full recipe, keep scrolling down.
This tortilla soup gumbo recipe itself is pretty easy to make as well as the tortilla strip toppings. The soup starts with a few basic veg and aromatics. Cooking them to a soft and fragrant consistency. Then you slowly start to build the soup. Adding in and layer each ingredient to create a delicious and complex soup that wasn’t hard to make. to get the full instructions to jump down to the recipe.
The tortilla strips are three ingredients and are honestly so easy to make. Very rarely will you see the store-bought ones in my pantry. Scroll down to the recipe for all the details.
My favorite Brand is Frescados Tortillas (NOT an affiliate). These tortillas are beyond anything else I’ve ever found in the Midwest. They are made locally in Minnesota. If you can find them at your grocery store, please give them a try! You won’t be sorry.
Serving the Soup
I like to serve the soup still in the pot, with the cooked rice on the side along with the shredded cheese, cilantro (or parsley), tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado (sliced or cubed), and hot sauce. This way everyone can make their bowl how they want.
To “plate” mine I put the rice at the bottom, fill the bowl with soup, and top it with toppings like chips, cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and hot sauce.
Want to make it Vegan/Vegetarian?
- For the Chicken stock: Replace with Vegetable stock
- For the Shredded Chicken: You can remove the chicken altogether, and add extra beans, or mushrooms.
- skip any toppings that don’t work for the diet.
Cooking with Kids
DISCLOSURE: These tips are generalized, and meant to be suggestive. Everything I’m sharing I do with my kids, and they are all different even within my own five. So please take these as suggestions or ideas and if you think your child needs more or less help, then go with what you and your child are comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your kids, do what YOU think is best.
Why I Love this Recipe
It’s slow cooker friendly
Put all the ingredients (minus the rice) in the slow cooker, and let it heat up on medium-low for 4-6 hours.
It’s Freezer friendly
You can make big batches and freeze this soup (without the toppings) and have ready-to-go meals anytime you’re in a pinch (see Storage Details for all of the information on storing and how long you can keep your Tortilla Soup Gumbo).
Storage Details
- Refrigerator: Store your leftover soup without toppings in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze your soup in an airtight container for up to two months. When you are ready to eat it, allow it to thaw in the fridge for 4 hours or up to overnight. Reheat soup by bringing it to a boil in a saucepan.
(original post from 2016)
Spring is back and it’s coming in like a lion around here. Snow, rain, warm temperatures, and cold rain-sleet all in a week! With weather like this, we need some warm homey dinners. Am I Right? My dad always made a Tex-Mex version of tortilla soup in the spring to help warm us up. So of course, I do the same. But I added black beans and rice to the soup to make it hearty & stretch more, which is very helpful when people come for dinner.
Fun fact… according to Wikipedia, gumbo is: a stew popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and what Louisianians call the “Holy Trinity” of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers, and onions.
So the reason I call this Tortilla Soup “gumbo” is because of the full flavor and thickness of this stew-like soup and ergo hearty deliciousness. Please note, however, that it does not have the “Holy Trinity” of veggies, but it does use a strong flavor stock and STICKS to your bones.
It’s also high in protein, with a whopping 37g per serving.
Omit the Strips and the rice and you’ll even cut back on the carbs. I prefer to serve the rice on the side so you can choose to add it or not.
Did you try it, have questions?
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It’s always wonderful to see loved ones coming together over delicious food.
Need more “Warm Up” recipes? Try these:
- Lemon Chicken Taco Dinner
- One-Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
- One Pot Asparagus and Bacon Rigatoni
- Homemade Sloppy Joe
- Pizza Pasta Bake
Tortilla Soup Gumbo
A warm, hearty play on traditional tortilla soup, this Tortilla Soup Gumbo Recipe is full of flavor, thick, and more of a stew than a soup. High in protein, and can be adjusted to even be lower in carbs. Perfect for cool damp spring days and cold fall nights. But really, anytime you’re in the mood. This is definitely one of those Sunday night family meals that you will enjoy. Freezer friendly and perfect as a make-ahead meal.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 2 15 oz cans black beans
- 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
- 1 cup Extra Long Grain White Rice (cooked – See Notes ¹ for serving option)
- 32 oz chicken stock (See notes ² for alternatives)
- 1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
- 64 oz Vegetable Juice (or tomato juice)
- 4 medium garlic cloves (smaashedand chopped )
- salt ((to taste))
- black pepper ((to taste))
- 2 lbs chicken (baked and shredded – See notes³ for alternatives)
Corn Tortilla Strips
- Olive oil
- six-inch Corn Tortillas
- Salt
Suggested Toppings
- Serrano Peppers
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Corn tortilla strips (directions included in this recipe for homemade)
- Cubed avocado
Instructions
- Start by cooking onions on medium-low heat with about a tablespoon or so of oil.
- Once the onions are translucent add the garlic and continue stiring until fragrant.
- Slowly add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin powder, and ground garlic to the onions and garlic. Conitnue stirring and heating until bubbly.
- Carefully, add the tomato juice and chicken stock. Stir, increase heat to medium/medium-high, and let it come to a slight boil.
- Add the chicken and beans, reduce heat and let simmer for 30-40 min. Hey! While this is simmering, if you haven’t yet… now is a great time to make the tortilla strips (see Corn Tortilla Strips instructions below)
- Right before serving taste test to see if you need to add any more of the seasonings. Serve with toppings and rice on the side so everyone can make their own bowl.
Corn Tortilla Strips
- Cut corn tortillas into strips (size is up to you)
- Cover the strips in olive oil, seasoning salt, and pepper.
- Lay on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 350ºF for 5-10 minutes or until crunchy & golden brown.
Equipment
Global 7-piece Ikasu Knife Block Set
Buy Now →Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid
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Buy Now → Notes
**Nutritional facts do NOT include Tortilla strip ingredients OR toppings**
- You can serve the rice separately to help those who want to curb some of the carbs.
- Replace Chicken stock with Vegetable stock
- You can remove the chicken and add extra beans or even mushrooms.
This Recipe is Slow Cook Friendly
Put all the ingredients (minus the rice) in the slow cooker, and let it heat up on medium-low for 4-6 hours.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Soup
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican, Mexican-American
Nutrition
- Calories: 242
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 1745
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 26
- Cholesterol: 61
Nutritional Facts:
The numbers above are based on the serving size stated. All are estimates and you should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.
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