Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe

Name: Turkey Tortilla Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 6-inch yellow corn tortillas; 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil; 1 cup chopped onion; 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons; 1 chipotle chili in adobo, minced; Pinch ground cumin; 6 cups turkey stock or chicken stock; 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes (use fire roasted if available); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste); 2 cups cooked, shredded turkey meat; Garnishes:; 1 avocado, cut into cubes; 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or mild cheddar); Chopped fresh cilantro; 1 lime, cut into wedges

Do you like tortilla soup? It's one of the easiest soups to make from scratch. You start by frying strips of corn tortillas in a little oil until crispy, then use that same tortilla-infused oil to sauté onions as you start to build the soup. The flavor is fabulous!

It's usually made with chicken, but we can just as easily make this soup with leftover shredded turkey. If you have homemade turkey stock? Even better.

In this version we are spicing up the soup base with a minced chipotle chili in adobo. The smoky flavor of the chili goes perfectly with the turkey.

From start to finish the soup takes less than an hour to make, and it's so good you'll want to make another batch. My father came over the day I made a pot of this soup and he ate half of it! Cleaned us out actually. Now I'm waiting for our Thanksgiving leftovers so I can make some more.

More Bowls of Deliciousness Made With Leftover Turkey

Turkey Tortilla Soup

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

To save time, prep the garnishes (avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges) while the soup is cooking in step 3.

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6 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons
1 chipotle chili in adobo, minced
Pinch ground cumin
6 cups turkey stock or chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (use fire roasted if available)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
2 cups cooked, shredded turkey meat

Garnishes:

1 avocado, cut into cubes
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or mild cheddar
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

Fry strips of corn tortillas:

Somewhat dry corn tortillas work best for this, so you can either leave the tortillas out overnight on a rack, or put them in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes. (If your tortillas are too dry, you can soften them by putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds.)

Slice them into 1/4-inch wide strips, and then cut the longer strips in half.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Heat oil in a 4 to 5 quart, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, working in batches (a third at a time) add the tortilla strips.

Fry them until lightly browned at the edges, a minute or so. Use tongs to remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.

Elise Bauer
Cook the onions until softened:

Add the chopped onions to the pot with the remaining oil. Cook on medium high heat until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Add garlic, cumin, chipotle:

Add the garlic, cumin, and minced chipotle chili in adobo and cook for 2 minutes more.
Add tomatoes, stock, salt, then simmer:

Add the crushed tomatoes, turkey (or chicken) stock, and salt. Increase the heat to high, bring mixture to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Add shredded turkey:

Add the shredded turkey and cook until just heated through, a minute or two.

Elise Bauer
Garnish and serve:

To serve, divide half of the fried tortilla strips into individual serving bowls. Top with the soup.

Sprinkle with chopped avocado, shredded cheese, the remaining tortilla strips, and cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
334	Calories
15g	Fat
29g	Carbs
22g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	334
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 3g	13%
Cholesterol 53mg	18%
Sodium 638mg	28%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	11%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 9mg	47%
Calcium 69mg	5%
Iron 2mg	14%
Potassium 697mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.