One-Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup

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Yesterday I spent some time working at the vegetable farm where we grow food to donate. While I was there, some grey and stormy weather rolled in, and by the time I left, I was chilled. What a perfect day to finalize the One–Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup recipe I had been working on. Even though it is spring, there is still plenty of chilly evenings to enjoy these easy, wonderfully healthy, comfort foods!

I finally nailed the spice level according to my family’s taste buds. The first time I made it, I found it wasn’t spicy enough. The second time, I had to give it to some heat loving friends because it was so spicy I wasn’t sure even my steel stomach could handle it! Wee bit of a mix up with the chili powder and cayenne powder… oops! I guess the third time’s a charm.

I think you will enjoy this One-Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup because it is:

• full of fibre, protein and antioxidants
• a great source of calcium
• oil free
• delicious comfort food
• simple and quick to make
• satisfying and extremely healthy
• tastes even better as leftovers

What else makes this Vegan Tortilla Soup so healthy?

Well, first of all, this soup contains no animal products. Instead it is filled with antioxidant rich legumes and vegetables. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a pioneer of plant-based eating, has an acronym for the 5 healthiest categories of foods we should be eating everyday. He calls them G-BOMBS. These foods are Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries and Seeds. Here is a link to an article about the wonderful benefits of G-BOMBS to our overall health.

This Tortilla Soup recipe is filled with beans and onions so you will get two out of the six recommended G-BOMBS to eat each day. I have also made it with mushrooms, so if that suits your fancy, by all means add in a cup or so. You could even throw in some chopped greens! Then you would be up to 4 G-BOMBS. 😉

Tortilla Soup can be made in a crock pot, regular pot, or in an Instapot. You can use canned beans, as the easiest option, or dry beans if you have more time. If you are using dry beans, I highly suggest cooking them first to the consistency of canned beans before making the soup.

This soup becomes true Tortilla Soup when you take the time to bake your own corn tortilla strips. This is NOT difficult. Simply buy corn tortillas, slice them into strips, spray them with a tiny bit of oil or mist them with water and sprinkle with some of the spices in this recipe and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy.

You can then add the strips to the bottom and the top of the soup for some texture. If you don’t have the time, serve it with regular corn tortilla chips. I tried them both ways and preferred the baked tortilla strips. My best photos just happened to come out of the store bought chip trial run recipe.

This soup tastes great topped with chives, avocado and cilantro. I added some vegan cheese I wanted to try out, even though I am not a big fan of processed cheeses. You can get really fancy by making the simple Vegan Sour Cream recipe below and adding a dollop on top of your soup. It will only take a few minutes and is also perfect to serve with potatoes, perogies, nachos and vegetables.

Simple Vegan Sour Cream Recipe:

To make Vegan Sour Cream, simply blend the following ingredients in a Vitamix or high speed blender for 5 minutes:

• 1 cup cashews (cover with boiling water for a few minutes while gathering the ingredients, then drain and add last to the blender)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of fresh water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

One-Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes 45 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-14 ounce can black beans
• 1-14 ounce can kidney beans
• 1-14 ounce can white kidney beans, cannellini beans or other white bean of choice
• 1-796 ml can of crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1-14 ounce can of corn
• 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes, diced
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1-127 ml can of green chilis (optional)
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• juice from one lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

Stovetop pot:

1. Chop onion, garlic and potatoes.  Saute onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of water until transparent.
2. Add potato and corn to the pot and stir fry with more water for a few minutes. 
3. Add all spices, other than salt and nutritional yeast, to the pot and stir well. 
4. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans and 2 bay leaves to the mix. 
5. Simmer, stirring frequently for 45 minutes.
6. Add lime juice, salt, nutritional yeast and stir. 
7. Remove bay leaves and serve. Pour over tortilla chips, then top with chives, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, vegan sour cream, vegan cheese or nutritional yeast. 

Instapot: 

1. Follow instructions above until #4.  Make sure the beans you are adding have either been precooked or are from a can.  
2. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans (precooked) and 2 bay leaves to the mix. 
3. Close the InstaPot and set steam dial to Sealing.  Select Pressure Cook, then High and press Start. 
4. When the InstaPot beeps, allow it to sit for 10 minutes then carefully move the knob from Sealing to Venting. 
5. Open the lid and add lime juice, salt, nutritional yeast and stir. 
6. Follow the instructions of #7 above.

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Notes

To make this soup extra healthy, feel free to add chopped mushrooms and kale with the beans.

I hope you enjoy this hearty, nutritious version of Tortilla Soup!