Vegetable Tortilla Soup

By Ham El-Waylly

Updated Feb. 15, 2024

Vegetable Tortilla Soup
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Mariana Velásquez.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(1,227)
Comments
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This vegetarian spin on tortilla soup gets its savory flavor from deeply caramelized cabbage, which brings sweetness, bitterness and earthiness. It uses tortillas in two ways: Pulverized tortilla chips add body and a delightful undercurrent of nutty flavor. (Grinding the tortilla finely ensures that it integrates into the soup without needing a final blend.) They are also sprinkled on top, adding a satisfying crunch while echoing the soup’s corn flavor. Treat this recipe as a template, and add whatever other vegetables you may have. As with other tortilla soups, the final garnishes are key to balancing the complex flavors. Don’t skimp on the lime, as its bracing acidity lifts all of the elements. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings 

    For the Soup

    • 3tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed
    • 1small purple cabbage, halved, cored and finely shredded
    • Salt and black pepper 
    • 1large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
    • 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped 
    • 6garlic cloves, finely chopped 
    • ½packed cup tortilla chips, finely ground in a spice grinder or blender
    • 2cups tomato purée
    • 3canned chipotles in adobo, finely chopped 
    • 1(15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained 

    For Serving

    • Lightly crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, vegan sour cream or yogurt, chopped cilantro and yellow onion, lime wedges
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

245 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 652 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high. Add the cabbage, season with a large pinch of salt and cook, occasionally stirring, until softened, lightly charred in spots and smelling smoky, about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato, onion, garlic and another pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion and garlic have softened, about 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the tortilla chips. Add the tomato purée and chipotles and bring to a simmer.

  3. Step 3

    Add 5 cups of water and another large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thickened and the sweet potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the pinto beans; season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Divide soup among bowls and serve with desired toppings.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,227 user ratings
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Comments

Christine

Very successful with friends and family! I was a little worried after I finished making the soup, but all of the go-withs brought it up to company level. Do not skimp on lime is spot on advice. I put avocado chunks, lime, shredded cheese and additional chips on the table for folks to add as they wished. Chipotle in adobo is pretty powerful, so I found two, not three, plenty spicy.

Michael

It's three "canned" peppers, not three cans.

Patti E

Is anyone else missing the lovely taste of cumin in this soup? I m going to try adding it to my next bowl.

T. Alexander Doolan

If you looking for an inferior tasting version of vegan chili - this is your horse. Further, adobo sauce is not a particularly pleasant flavor so it needs any covering up or blending with other flavors that you can contribute.

Iain

An excellent recipe! Make sure you give the cabbage time to cook, initially. I think letting it get a little smoky really helps. Instead of water, I used 4 cups of homemade vegetable stock and a bit more than one cup of water. I also thre w in some roasted poblano peppers because I had them in the freezer. Other than that, I followed the recipe and the results were great. My wife doesn’t particularly care for sweet potato, but she went back for seconds. Definitely hanging on to this one.

Neil

I thought this was delicious. Very easy to make and a good use of that leftover half a cabbage that's about to go bad in your fridge. I made my own tortilla chips by cutting up corn tortillas tossing with some oil and baking at 425 until crispy then tossing with salt. Also added some springs of cilantro and and a sprig of oregano will the mixture simmered then took them out at the end. Added a tbsp of the adobo sauce along with the chopped chipoltes to add more flavor.

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