I know. It’s June and I live in Louisiana. You’re asking yourself, “Why on Earth is Christen cooking soup in June in Louisiana?” I get it. A lot of people do not eat soups when it’s hot out. My theory on that is that I still drink coffee when it’s hot out. I still eat warmed up spaghetti, jambalaya, etc.
So yeah, I made soup today, on Father’s Day. My husband wasn’t feeling great. I’m choosing it was not my driving on the way to go see Maverick that caused him to have motion sickness. It was definitely the dare-devil flying that ol’ Maverick was getting up to. Not my driving. Regardless, I decided to make soup and wanted something different. I was trying to find a copycat recipe from the tortilla soup at Texas Land and Cattle, but was not successful. I did find this recipe that’s a copycat of the soup at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio. I’ve never had it, but it seemed easy enough.
The verdict was that it was both easy enough AND freaking fantastic! I just so happened to have some smoked/roasted poblano peppers, which really helped with the easy part. I’ll have to make sure that I just happen to have those on hand for next time! Seriously though, this was like if tortilla soup and taco soup had a love child. Perfect mix. Make it, because I doubt I’ll be sharing! lol
Beef Tortilla Soup
Recipe adapted from Urban Cowgirl Life
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil (give or take)
generous sprinkle of favorite seasoning – I use Holy Voodoo
1 onion, diced
2 smoked or roasted poblano peppers, seeds and stems removed
4 cloves minced garlic
6 oz. tomato paste
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 tbsp oregano (I added a few shakes of Green & Red Hatch Chili Flakes from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp. Mexican hot chili powder
2 quarts beef stock
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Toppings: sour cream, queso fresco, avocado, tortilla strips, whatever the heart wants…
In a large soup pot with a lid, heat about a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat, then add your ground beef. Begin to brown it, seasoning with your favorite seasoning (I like Holy Voodoo, you can just use salt if you want). As the meat cooks, break it up into small pieces with your spoon. Once the meat is browned, add your onions, cover with the lid, and cook for a few minutes until soft. If you are using fresh (as in not smoked or roasted) peppers, you can add them at this point as well to make sure they get soft. Once the onion is soft, add the roasted poblano pepper and garlic, cook for another minute or so until fragrant. Add your can of diced tomatoes. I like to let this cook for a few minutes so I can pick out the tomato skin. You don’t have to do that, but that’s just me. Cook for about five minutes.
Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Stir in the tomato paste until fully mixed in. Cook for a minute. Stir in the beef stock, then add the cilantro. Cover and cook over medium heat at least 20 minutes, but you may let simmer for a while.
Serve with your favorite garnish.
Cooking With Christen 