Recipe: Vegetable Tortilla Soup

This one is super-easy to make and a good way to take advantage of leftover ingredients you might have on hand. Don't feel obligated to follow the recipe exactly, as you can substitute the veggies with what you have available. I started making a vegetarian version of this since my sister doesn't eat meat, but an added bonus is that the vegetable broth seems more savory than chicken broth.

Easy Vegetable Tortilla Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (depending on your tolerance!)
1 small onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, or substitute salsa
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and with seeds removed (depending on your tolerance)
approximately 5-8 tortillas, preferably a bit dried out
1 tbsp olive oil

Brush tortillas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, then cut into strips and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then set aside to cool. Heat oil in large saucepan and add garlic, peppers and chilies. Saute for a few minutes, then add diced tomatoes or salsa. Mix together, then add stock. Add tortilla strips to to saucepan, reserving about a third. Bring liquid to a boil, then simmer on medium-high heat until vegetables are fully cooked. Before serving, top with remaining tortilla strips.

I also like to top each serving bowl with warmed tortilla strips and a little bit of shredded cheese that melts easily, similar to how you would serve french onion soup. A lot of recipes also call for fresh avocado on top, which I'll use if I have it. You can also take extra tortilla, cut them into wedges before baking with the strips, and serve as fresh tortilla chips. They're better than anything store-bought!

Go ahead and see what you have in the pantry that you can use up with this soup! I've seen fire-roasted canned tomatoes with chilies, and I sometimes like to throw in fresh salsa that would otherwise go bad. If the salsa is hot enough, then you don't need the jalapeno!

[Adapted from this recipe]