Vegan Tortilla Soup with rich, bold, smoky tomato, garlicky flavour, and piles of crispy, crunchy baked tortilla strips. Then come the extra toppings which really seal the deal. It's quick and easy to make and totally delicious!
2tablespoonscornstarch, (cornflour in the UK). Arrowroot is ok too.
3 cups (1 x 28 oz / 796 mls can)fire roasted crushed tomatoes, or regular crushed tomatoes / passata
3 cups (720mls)stock
3 cups (2 x 14 oz/398 mlcans)black beans
1½ cups (1 x 12 oz / 341 mlcan)sweetcorn
1tablespoonsugar
2 teaspoonssalt, or to taste
1 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1lime, juice only
For the crispy tortilla strips (or just use a bag of tortilla chips instead!)
6small 5 to 6 inch corn tortillas
2tablespoonsoil
apinch ofsalt
INSTRUCTIONS
Put a large soup pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the dried herbs and spices to the pan and allow to toast for a minute or two, stirring frequently, then add the cornstarch. Stir well. It will look lumpy and weird. That's fine.
Add the canned tomatoes and stir really well, then pour in the stock, beans, sweetcorn and sugar. Stir together then bring to a simmer. Keep it simmering away for about 10 to 15 minutes until it's hot and thickened.
While the soup is simmering preheat oven to 375°F (190 °C) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Keep the tortillas in a pile, and cut down through them to make long strips about ¼ inch wide. Put the strips in a large bowl and pour over the oil. Toss them around with your fingers until they are all coated then tip them out onto the baking tray. Spread out into a single layer so there's a little space around each one. Sprinkle all over with a pinch or two of salt and bake for 12 minutes. Keep an eye on them in the last minute or two in case your oven runs hot and they get too dark. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray.
Once you are ready to serve, take the soup off the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and squeeze in the juice of a lime. Give it a quick stir and it's ready.
Ladle the soup into bowls then pile the tortilla strips on top. Then add other toppings of choice.
NOTES
Soup leftovers taste even better because the flavors have that extra time to develop. Store them in a sealed container in the fridge. They will keep for 4 to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store leftover tortilla strips in an air tight container.SLOW COOKER - Add all ingredients to the pot (excluding the tortillas and oil), cover and slow cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 4-6 hour. Then prepare the crispy tortilla strips as directed or buy a bag of tortilla chips.INSTANT POT - You can either sauté the onions, garlic until golden first, or just throw everything (except the tortillas and oil) in the pot and cook. If you do sauté be sure to thoroughly scrap the brown bits off the bottom. To do this add a bit of the stock and scrape hard all over with a wooden spoon. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. You can then do a very careful quick release (cover the spout with a cloth to protect yourself and surroundings). That just leaves the tortilla chips. Either follow my recipe instructions for baking your own or buy a bag of tortilla chips to make life really easy.