Southwestern Steak Soup

I made this up to use leftover grilled steak. It's a delicious, hearty soup that is perfect with a salad and some homemade biscuits or beer bread on the side. Almost any kind of steak should work, although we usually grill New York, porterhouse, or sirloin. If you don't usually have leftover steak, you can always grill an extra one just so you can make this soup! You can adjust the heat by using a milder or hotter salsa, adding cayenne or chipotle, or adding jalepeno or other hot peppers.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon canola oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (7 ounce)  canned diced green chiles
• 2 (16 ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice, undrained
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 cups medium hot salsa (I use Pace salsa with cilantro)
• 3  cups  chopped grilled beef sirloin steaks (or any kind of beef steak)

• Garnishes (as desired)

•  sour cream
•  shredded cheese
•  chopped cilantro
•  thinly sliced green onion
•  sliced avocado

Directions

1. Heat oil in 6 quart saucepot over medium heat. Saute onions until tender.
2. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except garnishes, all at once. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until hot all through and flavors are blended. Serve garnished as desired.