Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe

If you’re looking for authentic, I’m sorry I don’t have it here. But if you’re looking for yummy with the option to go vegan or vegetarian, and even gluten free as a bonus, try it. I think you’re going to love it.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it includes hominy which I think most tortilla soups don’t, and so even though I call it a tortilla soup, its partly inspired by pozole.

Words that come to mind when I think of this vegan tortilla soup recipe:

• Chewy
• Flavorful
• Crunchy
• I so don’t want to fry tortilla strips but it’ll be worth it

Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 bulb garlic, minced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1-2 fat tomatoes of any variety (or 2-4 little ones like Roma), diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced with seeds for more spiciness or without seeds for less (optional)
• 1 16-29oz can hominy (yellow or white is fine), drained
• 1 16oz can black beans, drained and lightly rinsed
• 1 16 oz pkg frozen corn
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1.5 Tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Corn tortillas, cut into strips, or crushed tortilla chips
• Oil for sautéing veggies and frying tortilla strips
• Avocado, cubed (optional)

Instructions:

1. Sauté diced zucchini, minced garlic, and diced tomatoes in oil over medium heat in a soup pot until softened
2. Add hominy, black beans, corn, and vegetable broth. Crank up the heat to high.
3. Add spices
4. Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally until corn is heated through and the hominy reaches the texture you like
5. Turn off the heat, then stir in cilantro and lime
6. Fry tortilla strips
7. Top each individual bowl of soup with tortilla strips, avocados if opting to use those, and even cheese and/or sour cream if you’re not trying to do vegan and feel it would add to your eating experience

Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe Notes & Random Research

This freezes and reheats well, so feel free to double the recipe to get more food out of almost the same amount of effort

A pack of tortillas will probably make more tortilla strips than you need for one night. Luckily, they’ll stay crisp for 4-6 days if kept in an airtight container.

This recipe is nice and quick, but frying tortilla strips can take more effort and time than I feel like investing sometimes. Crushed tortilla chips will work in a pinch.

This recipe article details how to make a more traditional tortilla soup, as well as a summarized history of tortilla soup. Some notables from the article:

• “Mexican cuisine, like our culture, is based on the blending of indigenous and Spanish customs and native resources.”
• “To the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas, where corn was one of the most important ingredients in their food. The vital role of corn in native culture is what later brought us the tortilla, and eventually, tortilla soup.”
• “Tortilla Soup was born in the state of Tlaxcala near Mexico City. In fact, Tlaxcala in Nahuatl means “the land of the corn” or “ the place where tortillas abound.”

I highly recommend checking out the full article for a small peek at the roots of this superstar dish.

As I mentioned earlier, most tortilla soups don’t include hominy, but mine does. I think the chewy texture adds so much to a vegan recipe like this one.

Depending on where you live, hominy can be hard to find in grocery stores. Check the canned vegetables aisle, the “ethnic foods” aisle, and specialty stores.

Hominy comes from maize (also known as field corn). You’re already familiar with maize whether you know it or not, as it’s featured in cornmeal, grits, corn tortillas, tortilla chips, and even corn flakes cereal.