Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

If you enjoy Mexican flavors, you are in for a mouth watering fiesta with this simple soup recipe. Tortilla soup has been called the classic Mexican soup by many food critics and after tasting it, you will see why. The soup contains distinct Mexican flavors of corn tortillas (corn flour treated with lime), cilantro, cumin, cilantro and avocado, which all work together beautifully in one dish.

This soup is perfect for using leftovers from other Mexican dishes such as fajitas or tacos. I always prepare way too many tortillas and the extras often dry out or become soft and moist from excess steam. Until I discovered this soup recipe, I would send these unwanted tortillas to the compost bin, but then I heard of tortilla soup and had to try it out. Save those extra broken or cracked tortillas and make this soup! Your taste buds will thank you.

For 6 servings

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

10 day-old corn tortillas

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup orzo pasta or cooked rice

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 green chili peppers, chopped (optional)

3 tablespoons salt (or to taste)

2 tablespoons black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of two limes

Diced avocado for garnish

Method:

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil, onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until the onion begins to appear translucent. Add the broth, water, tomatoes, salt, pepper, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 10 minutes. While it is simmering, chop your tortillas into fine strips. This allows them to cook faster. Add the orzo pasta and tortillas and simmer for another 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, and the tortillas have broken down, the soup is ready to serve. (You may want to wait 10 minutes before serving as fresh soup is VERY hot). Garnish with cubed avocado and fresh lime juice.

Image from flickr.com