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Vegan Tortilla Soup

Sharon Palmer

I love to make a thick, hearty Vegan Tortilla Soup for a one-dish meal that my whole family enjoys. This recipe for tortilla soup—filled with tomatoes, zucchini, lack beans, and spices—is hearty, delicious, and packed with nutrition. Just cook up a pot, and let everyone top their soup with their favorite additions—tortilla strips, green onions, plant-based cheese—just the way they like it!

What Is in Tortilla Soup?

Well, tortilla soup is a traditional Mexican thick soup dish that is essentially a spicy blend of tomatoes, vegetables, and crisp tortilla strips. This easy plant-based version from my book Plant-Powered for Life includes protein-rich black beans and zucchini added to the mix. What’s really great is that this vegetarian tortilla soup (which is also vegan and gluten-free) relies on preserved goods, such as canned tomatoes, frozen corn, and canned beans, so you can make it year-round from your pantry. While I am not a true expert of Mexican foodways, I do celebrate it and enjoy it regularly. However, I’d love to highlight the work of colleague Sylvia Melendez Klinger, who is an expert in Hispanic Foodways.

What to Serve with Tortilla Soup?

While this recipe can essentially stand alone, I think the best complements for a tortilla soup include a simple sandwich, burrito, or vegetable salad for lunch or dinner. By adding a side dish to the tortilla soup, you can enrich your meal with additional nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

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Vegan Tortilla Soup


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings (1 cup per serving) 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Make the best vegan tortilla soup with this healthy, delicious recipe filled with tomatoes, corn, zucchini, black beans, and spices.


Ingredients

Scale

Tortilla Strips

Soup

  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper, finely diced
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup (164 g) frozen corn
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 4 cups (948 ml) water
  • 1 tablespoon reduced sodium vegetable broth base
  • 2 (14.5-ounce or 411 g) cans diced tomatoes, with liquid
  • 1 (15-ounce or 425 g) can black beans, with liquid (or 1¾ cups cooked, with ½ cup water)
  • 2/3 cup (37 g) plant-based cheese, optional
  • 2/3 cup (60 g) chopped green onions, white and green parts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
  2. Slice the tortillas into thin strips. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then sprinkle the chili powder on top. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes, until brown and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn off the oven.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the soup by heating the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño, zucchini, corn, crushed red pepper, and cumin and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
  5. Add the water, broth base, tomatoes, and black beans. Stir well and cover. Simmer over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
  6. Ladle about 1 cup of soup into soup bowls, and garnish with a few tortilla strips, 1 tablespoon of plant-based cheese, and 1 tablespoon green onions. Serve immediately.
  7. Store leftover soup (without garnishes) in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the soup and garnish with the tortilla strips, cheese, and green onions.

Notes

Instant Pot Directions: Follow steps 1-2 as directed. Starting from step 3, sauté vegetables using the sauce setting as directed in steps 3 and 4. Follow step 5, pressing the “Soup” setting. Cook according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately as directed in steps 6-7.

Slow cooker Directions: Follow steps 1-2 as directed. Starting from step 3, place all soup ingredients in the container of the Slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-12 hours. Cook according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately as directed in steps 6-7.

Variation: Substitute cooked or canned white beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, or kidney beans for black beans, or use a combination.

Star Nutrients: vitamin C (40% DV), folate (12% DV), calcium (14% DV), manganese (11% DV), molybdenum (44% DV), phosphorus (10% DV), potassium (10% DV)

From Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps and 125 Delicious Recipes Copyright © 2014 Sharon Palmer

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Category: Meal, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 148
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 263 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 5 g

For other vegan soup recipes check out some of my favorites:

French Wild Rice Vegetable Soup
Classic Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup
Winter Melon Mushroom Soup with Seitan
Classic Vegan French Onion Soup
Vegetable Stone Soup
Easy Curried Leek Vegetable Soup

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