Tortilla Soup

The heartier version of Tortilla Soup with crumbled chips and low-fat cheese.

There are many types of tortillas soups. This is the lightest one I know of. You can add many different ingredients, but the foundational ingredients--stock, tomatoes, onion, vegetable oil and tortilla strips--pretty much stay the same.

No meat version

Ingredients:

4 cups turkey or vegetable stock
4-6 corn tortillas sliced into strips or, handful of [baked] tortilla chips
1 white onion
3-4 small sweet tomatoes (I make this with chopped cherry tomatoes, but Romas also work well)
2 T vegetable oil; add more if needed
Salt and pepper to taste
*garlic to taste (I prefer 2-3 crushed cloves, or you can use 1T of powdered garlic)
*cilantro (only if you like it; it tastes like soap to me)

Meat version
Add 2 cups shredded turkey breast meat

Decadent version options:
*Sour cream on top or,
*Shredded cheddar cheese on top

To make tortilla strips, layer tortillas together and slice into strips 1/2 inch in width. Heat oil in frying pan, add tortillas and allow to cook until crisp, about 1-2 minutes

Lay strips on paper towels to soak up excess oil.

Pour out most of the vegetable oil from the frying pan (I use empty vegetable cans to store extra oil; but, you have to use it within a few days). If the sides of your frying pan are only 1 inch high, then you will need use a heavy saucepan, otherwise your mix will spill over.

Add onions and garlic to hot oil. Do not cook too long else the garlic will become bitter—only cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the stock to the mix. Allow mix to boil then reduce to a simmering level for about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes then boil another 2 minutes.

In small serving bowls, add the tortilla strips, then ladle soup over the top.
*Old World ingredients