Opulent Cottage: Creamy Tortilla Soup

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

How about a yummy dinner recipe for this festive day?! We made this last week and honestly, I could eat it every day, it's that good. It's the perfect healthy, low carb meal for a Cinco de Mayo dinner!

My recipe was inspired by Edie's from last month. I almost fainted when I saw it. Cream in Tortilla Soup? We make Tortilla Soup at least once a month, and this takes it to a whole new level. I just made my usual recipe and tweaked it per Edie's instructions for adding the queso fresco and cream.

Olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 chicken breasts

Seasonings - cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoke seasoning

4 cloves garlic

1 cup of whatever bell/sweet peppers you like

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 can Rotel, or chopped can tomatoes and chopped green chiles

1 can black or pinto beans

1 box chicken broth, about 4 cups, or more, to taste

1 T Masa Harina

3 oz. Queso Fresco (about 1/4 package)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Saute onion in olive oil on low for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice chicken breasts into 1/2 inch strips. Sprinkle liberally with seasonings and saute in a separate pan, on each side about 2 minutes, in several batches. Set aside to cool.

Add garlic to onions, saute another 2 minutes, then add peppers and saute another 5 minutes. Add zucchini, mushrooms, Rotel, beans and broth. Stir in masa harina, then simmer for 20 minutes to develop flavors. Shred cooled chicken. Break Queso Fresco into chunks and add to soup along with chicken and cream, stirring just until warmed through, but not boiling. Turn off heat a cover soup for five minutes to allow queso to melt. Serve in soup bowls or mugs, garnished with chopped cilantro and additional queso.

The spices from the chicken will season the entire soup, and the creamy deliciousness will have your family begging for more. No, I don't actually use tortillas in my soup. Seems that no one in my house actually liked it! Instead I use the Masa Harina to add a rich corn flavor. It's found in the Hispanic section, or you could use cornmeal, also. Or you could skip it altogether if you're eating grain-free or don't want the added few grams of carbs. You can also toss a small bag of frozen corn into the soup, or sliced carrots, or both!

BUT. The one thing you can not skip is the smoke seasoning on the chicken! I use this, from Trader Joe's.

It's a life-changing thing. This seasoning gives a smoky, fresh-grilled flavor to anything you put it on. I like to add it to chili and stew, or crock-pot meats, to give them a depth that you almost can't identify as smoke flavor. As an alternative, you could probably also use smoked paprika or a dash of liquid smoke flavoring.

Lately I have found several recipes that have rocked my world. Y'all already know what a huge foodie I am, well, we all are here at the Haywood's. I'm going to try to get better at sharing these on a more regular basis!

Hope you have a festive day! xoxo

Joining:

Brenda's Tweak It Tuesday

Marty'sInspire Me Tuesday

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