Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

A chilli-like vegetarian tortilla soup. Tasty, filling, cheap, high protein, healthy, and amazingly easy. This is my own vegetarian (and less wicked-hot) version of a great recipe that circulated around my family. It's so easy. I'm the "cook from the box" type and it's really a cinch, even for me. It makes a huge amount of soup, so it's a great idea to freeze some. Go generic with all of the canned ingredients and this stuff costs next to nothing! If you prefer your soup hot hot hot, add a can of chilies. As this recipe is extremely flexible, don't worry if you can't find any of these ingredients in the exact size cans mentioned. I seem to pick up different sizes everytime, and it never causes any proplems. Can easily be vegan, as long as you pick the right fake meat.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1  lb vegetarian ground beef (try Morningstar's Veggie Crumbles)
• 1 (15 ounce) can chopped tomatoes or 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can  chopped tomatoes and green chilies or 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can  vegetarian broth (or V8, in a pinch)
• 1 (15 ounce) can white hominy, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can corn
• 1 (1 ounce) package  taco seasoning
• 1 (1 ounce) package  ranch dressing mix

Directions

1. Put"ground beef" in a very large pot on the stove and sort of stir it to let it thaw.
2. Without draining any except for the hominy, add all of the canned ingredients to the pot and stir.
3. Stir in the dry taco seasoning and ranch dressing.
4. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Serve hot.