Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

I never used to like soups, especially as a kid.  They never felt filling enough and the flavors and textures weren’t pleasing to my kiddo palette. As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve realized I do like soup, its just how their made and what flavors that have in them.

 

 

As I’ve explored and discovered different soups that I like, and opened up my possibilities wider and wider. Most recently, I decided I wanted to try making tortilla soup.

 

 

I don’t want to make it in the traditional way. I want to make it so that matches the textures and flavors that make me happy. It’s mostly the same ingredients, but presented differently.

 

 

I got the idea when I made my version of pasta fagioli. I decided I didn’t need to have all the chunks of veggies in the soup with a thin broth. Instead I can make a thicker, richer saucy broth and then only add a few other ingredients like meats and pastas or beans. It minimizes the number of different textures while still having a great flavor and a rich broth!

 

 

I applied all that to this recipe and fell in love! It has a nice spice level that’s not over the top, but definitely reminiscent of Mexican flavors. It is perfect on a chilly night with some corn bread. Mmm…

 

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

 

1 Tbs EVOO

½ of one onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

4 c chicken broth

1 c water, if needed

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes with juice

2 tsp New Mexico chili powder

1 Tsp Mexican oregano, salt

½ tsp ground cumin, black pepper

1 ½-2 lbs shredded chicken (cooked in broth or pre-cooked, even rotisserie chicken)

1 15-oz can black

1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed well and drained

3-4 corn tortillas, chopped

 

Heat the oil in a large pot (I use my enameled cast iron pot) at med-hi heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper and allow them to cook for a few minutes, allowing the onion to soften and become translucent without it browning. Add the garlic and give it a minute to soften. Then add the broth, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with juice. As it comes to a boil, add the seasonings.

 

If you’re using whole chicken pieces (including frozen chicken pieces) add them once it has reached a boil. Put the lid on the pot and turn it down to a simmer. Allow the chicken to cook for about 20-25 minutes depending on whether it’s frozen pieces or fresh. Once the chicken is cooked through, pull it out and let it cool. Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to blend the veggie ingredients together for a thicker, smoother broth.

 

Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Add the black beans and pinto beans and bring the soup back to a simmer. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Finally, add the tortilla pieces and allow them to soften in the soup for a few minutes. *

 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some radish slices, some avocado slices, and a little chopped cilantro. Whatever toppings you’d like.

 

 

*You can make this ahead and finish it before serving. Just stop after you add the shredded chicken and set it aside on the stovetop or in the refrigerator, if you’ll be serving longer than an hour away. When you’re ready to serve, simply warm it back to a simmer and add the tortilla pieces in. Allow them to soften for a few minutes and dinner is ready.

 

Beef Enchiladas in Rojo Sauce

 

Yes, I already have an enchilada recipe on my blog. But I’ve upped my game with this one. Although it’s nice to have a quick recipe for those busy nights, it’s also nice to have a fresh, from scratch recipe that will blow your mind.

 

 

I had to pull this from a couple different recipes. I wanted to have meat that cooked in the pressure cooker while I did other things on the stove. 

 

 

It’s also easy to make the meat and broth ahead of time and then put it all together a couple days later. 

 

 

It’s also really flexible. The recipe calls for beef, but you can make it with pork or chicken just as easily, you’ll just need to adjust your cooking time for the meat preparation.

 

 

You can make them ahead of time and freeze them, or eat them right away. I love flexible recipes that allow me to prep meals and be ready for anything.

 

 

Beef Enchiladas in Rojo Sauce

 

Beef:

2-3 lbs Country Style Ribs (or other shreddable meat like chuck, etc)

2 Tbs salt

½ onion

5 garlic cloves

3 bay leaves

Water up to the max line of the Instant Pot

1 7oz can green chilis

1 c enchilada sauce

3 c Mexican blend cheese, divided

30 corn tortillas

½ c canola oil

 

 

Enchilada Sauce:

20 dried chili peppers (I like a mix of California and guajillo peppers)

2 dried pasilla peppers

2 chile de arbole

½ onion

2 garlic cloves

3 ½ c broth from meat, divided

¼ tsp cumin

½ tsp Mexican oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In your instant pot, pour about 1 cup of water in. Then add the meat, the onion, the garlic cloves, and the bay leaves. Finally add the salt and add enough water to bring it up to the max line. Put the lid on and seal the pressure seal. Set your cooker to “meat” and set the time for 1 hour 10 minutes. After the time is done, allow natural pressure to drop for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Release the last of the pressure and pull the meat out and place in a bowl. It should fall apart when you shred it. Once it’s all shredded, set it aside.

 

Meanwhile, you can use the broth made by cooking the meat to create the enchilada sauce.

 

Rinse the peppers and remove the stems and seeds. Place them into a saucepan and add enough water to cover the peppers and bring them to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn it off and allow it to cool for just a minute.

 

Add the peppers to the blender and discard the water. Add the onion and garlic and 2 ½ cups of reserved cooking broth. Blend until smooth and then put the sauce through a sieve and back into the saucepan to make it smoother. Use the last 1 cup of broth to clean the blender and get the last of the sauce through the sieve. Once all the sauce is in the pan, add the cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

 

In a large saute pan, add the canola oil and allow to warm to about 325-350 degrees. Dip each tortilla in the oil and allow it to cook just until it starts to blister. Remove it from the oil, let it drip a minute and then set aside and continue with the rest. Once those are complete, turn back to the meat. Add the chilis and enchilada sauce and mix everything together.

 

Begin assembly of the enchiladas. Place ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of each of two 9x13 baking dishes. Make sure it covers the bottom of the dishes. Take a tortilla and add about ¼ c of filling along with 1Tbs cheese and roll the tortilla like a cigar. Place it in the dish and continue through your tortillas in the same manner. Once all of them are finished, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas evenly between the two dishes. Finally add cheese about 1 cup of cheese to the top of each dish.

 

Cook in a preheated oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until it begins to bubble. Turn the oven to broil on high if you like to crisp your cheese on top a bit. Remove and let it cool a minute before serving. Enjoy!

Beefy Stew Cups

 

Sometimes there are days that you crave a classic. But with a twist.

 

We grew up with canned biscuits, brown gravy powder mix, and frozen veggies added to just about everything! Sometimes your parents were just out of time and needed a meal on the table. Sometimes your parents wanted the comforting flavors, and even as an adult I still find myself craving those flavors.

 

 

When my husband and I were first experimenting with meals for the 2 of us, I was looking everywhere for inspiration. I found some neat old cookbooks in my grandmother’s kitchen that were put out in the 60s and 70s by Pillsbury, Campbells, and other classic companies like them. They had lots of great ideas for quick meals and I knew I could find some gems in there.

 

 

The original recipe had a lot less veggie in it. I felt like it called for more complex flavors. It also needed the addition of onions and garlic to help pull out more of the “stew” feels. Also, it used the smaller muffin pan and the cups felt so small. The jumbo muffin pan is perfect for a stuffed muffin. It provides so much room for the filling and creates a better ratio of bread to filling.

 

 

While I realize I could make a lot of this from scratch, sometimes you really just need childhood flavors. And sometimes you really just need a quick meal that the whole family will love. These stew cups hit the mark for sure.

 

 

Beefy Stew Cups

 

 

1lb ground beef

½ yellow onion, diced,

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs EVOO

12oz bag of frozen peas and carrots

¼ tsp thyme

1 c milk

1 packet Brown Gravy Mix

1 can (12oz) of 8 biscuits

 

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 375. Using a rolling pin or your fingers, flatten and widen each biscuit so they will fit into the muffin pan. I use the jumbo muffin size pan for this recipe, but it works in a medium sized muffin pan as well. Line each of the muffin cavities with the flattened biscuit. Once done, set aside to work on the filling.

 

In a large saucepan, heat the oil to med-hi heat. Once it’s warm but not smoking, add the onions. Allow them to sauté for a few minutes, until they start to become translucent. Add the garlic and let it cook for a minute before moving the onions to one side of the pan.

 

Add a bit more oil to the other side of the pan for the beef. Brown the beef on all sides, making sure to stir it so it will crumble as you cook it. Once the meat is browned, add the thyme and the bag of peas and carrots and let them warm up, about 2-3 minutes. Lastly, add the gravy mix to the milk and blend with a whisk before adding it to the sauté pan. It should heat up and thicken as it coats the filling.

 

 

Allow the filling to cool for a few minutes and then spoon it evenly into the 8 biscuit lined muffins. Into the oven for about 15-18 minutes, making sure the biscuit is baked and a nice golden color.

 

 

Remove from the oven and leave them to cool for a few minutes before serving. Goes great with a yummy garden salad.