Vegetarian Tortilla Soup just like in Mexico

Tortilla soup is one of my favorites! 

Whenever I go to Cancun, Mexico on vacation, I am jealous of everyone eating and raving about the tortilla soup. It always looks so good, but it is made with chicken and chicken broth, and I am a vegetarian. I've searched for a vegetarian tortilla recipe, but have never really found one I liked until today.

Today, I found a good recipe on  A Year of Slow Cooking  that looks just like the soup in Mexico and guess what? It's made in the crock pot! Does it get any better than that? Yes, it's gluten free, vegan, and made from real food ingredients. I knew I was going to like this one. 

I love the ease of crock pot recipes and that everything is in one pot and there is so little mess. I also love that once the ingredients are assembled and in the slow cooker, I can walk out of the kitchen and do other things. The timer calls me when dinner is ready! 

Although this recipe uses a 6 quart slow cooker, I'm sure you could make it on the stove top. Too much soup? You can freeze some. 
This recipe makes about 8 servings. 

 I will admit that the original recipe called for hot hot hot chili peppers, chipotle chile powder, and smoked paprika. I really don't like things that spicy, so I left out the chili peppers entirely- my bad! 

But you can certainly add them back in - the original recipe called for 4 whole serrano chilis! Personally, I only added a little chipotle chile powder and my canned organic tomatoes actually had some chiles added to them- that was enough for me !

You know your own preferences, so adjust the spices as you see fit!
I know the temperatures are scorching out there and some of you may be thinking,"hot soup in the summer" ??? Why???? The answer is , I like it.. BUT for those of you who don't like hot soup in the summer, just pin it now to make in the winter.

 Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep: overnight for soaking beans + 5 minutes prep
Cook Time in Crock Pot: 4-5 hours on high
Recipe from:   Stephani Odea A Year of Slow Cooking 
Serves: 8

Ingredients: 

1 cup of dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and then drained before adding to crock pot. 

1 15 ounce can fire roasted chopped tomatoes with chilis 
or 3 cups of chopped Roma tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped  

4 cups flavorful vegetable broth

4 cups water 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder  
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika ( I used regular paprika- go easy) 
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 cup of fresh baby spinach

optional: 4 whole serrano chillis
optional garnishes to add to each bowl:
chopped avocado, tortilla chips, sliced black olives,  freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions: 

Add the pre-soaked beans, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices and broth and water in that order. If you are using the chillis- add then now and let them float on top! Cook covered for 8-10 hours of low or 4 to 5 on high. Discard the chilis before serving. Add the spinach to the crock pot/slow cooker before serving and it will wilt in the hot liquid. Stir and serve. 

Also, I included a Youtube Video of how to make a quick vegan tortilla soup in the Vitamix without cooking. You use boiling water, so it is a hot soup that is made in minutes! Might be perfect for you for the summer. It looks good!

My notes: 

1. Go easy on the smoked paprika- you can always add more at the end. 
2. If you use chopped tomatoes instead of the canned, you may need to add a little salt.
3. You can always season more when the soup is done-
4. If you want to make this on the stove top in a large pot to speed up the process, use 2 cans of cooked pinto beans instead of the dry soaked beans. I would sautee the onion and then add the other ingredients.  

A VEGAN TORTILLA SOUP RECIPE 

made in minutes without cooking IN THE VITAMIX 

James Wrobel makes a version of tortilla soup in the a Vitamix type blender without cooking! So if you are looking for something really fast and easy that you simply mix up with boiling water, check out this 7 minute video!!

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