Vegetarian Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Submitted by caitlin.brundrett

"I don't remember where I got this recipe, but my mom makes it for the holidays, and it has become a staple among our family members - it's a great recipe to double for larger groups! We have done different versions, including one where we added pre-made polenta in lieu of the tortillas... it was delish. Also, don't feel like you have to fry your own tortilla strips... it's very messy and oily. Store-bought tortilla chips will do just fine. Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 45mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• other dried hot peppers or cayenne pepper, to taste*
• 1 1⁄2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 5 cups unsalted vegetable stock
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 -2 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed

directions

1. Cut 6 of the tortillas into 1/2-inch squares.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, and chopped tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft.
3. Add cumin and crushed peppers or cayenne and sauté for another minute.
4. Add pumpkin, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.
5. While the soup is simmering, cut the remaining 6 tortillas in half and then into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Fry tortilla strips in two batches until crisp and light golden (about a minute). Using a slotted spoon, transfer tortilla strips to towels to drain.
6. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, and cilantro.
7. *As a personal preference, I like to put the cilantro, tortilla strips, avocado, (ALONG WITH sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese - my own additions) into smaller serving bowls for people to add themselves. Yum.
8. *You can tailor the type and amount of hot pepper to your own tastes. We usually make this with a couple of crushed chile pequins but have also used cayenne pepper, which is more readily available. If you're not sure how much to use, start with 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, taste the soup after it has simmered for awhile, and then add more if desired.

Reviews

[SugarPlum336]

A very, very tasty and easy to make soup! The pumpkin made it very filling, but yet the pumpkin was surprisingly a very subtle flavor. I don't think I would've guessed it was there if I hadn't known. I couldn't find fresh cilantro and also omitted the fried tortilla strips. We just put avocado on top. I'm a vegetarian, but could definitely see adding chicken or shredded cheese/sour cream for those that prefer it. We liked this so much that I will be making it again very soon.

 

[lnafie]

Awesome, really flavorful soup that you can make as spicy as you like! Make it vegan by using dairy-free cheese and sour cream. If you don't want vegan or vegetarian, add shredded chicken or taco meat. Use regular vegetable broth and omit the salt. This one is always requested when the kids come home!