There are hundreds of recipes for tortilla soup. I found on in the Los Angeles Times years ago and have been making ever since. The first time I made this soup, I made a very big mistake. Instead of putting one chipotle chile packed in adobo sauce, I put the whole 4 ounce can of chiles in! This is REALLY not a good idea. We manage to eat it anyway…. I won’t go into details!
The reason that I like this recipe is that it is not roux* based, which makes it lower in fat. When I open a can of chipotle chiles packed in adobo sauce, I put one in the recipe. The rest I wrap individually in plastic wrap and put them in a zip-lock bag and freeze them for the next time I make soup.
*Roux is a cooked mixture of flour and a cooking fat, like butter, that is used to thicken sauces and gravies.
1 chipotle chile packed in adobo sauce, or more to taste
4 (14½ ounce) cans chicken broth
1 avocado
¼ pound Monterey jack cheese, grated
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup Tortilla strips
Directions
1Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook, stirring 2 minutes. Add the garlic, lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, covered 10 minutes.
2While the onions and garlic cook, roast the corn in a dry skillet over high heat until slightly charred, turning so it does not burn, about 5 minutes. Cut the kernels from the cob and set aside.
3Add the tomato paste and chipotle to the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
4While the soup simmers, chop the avocado.
5Puréee the soup in a blender in small batches, returning each batch to the pan and combining well.
6Divide the cheese, avocado, cilantro, corn and tortilla strips among 4 bowls and ladle the soup over the top.