Vitamix Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Vitamix. Chicken. Tortilla. Soup. Recipe.  Well, first, I have to brag.  My husband is -without a doubt- the luckiest sunnuvagun I know.  He was perusing through Goodwill a while ago, and found a variable speed Vitamix blender for just under nine bucks.  Yep.  A true-to-life Vitamix.  For nine bucks!!

We immediately put it to use, playing around with different fruit and veggie combos.  And then we stumbled upon this recipe for Tortilla Soup.  The rest -as they say- is history.  I’ve been making -and thoroughly enjoying!- my mom’s chicken tortilla soup recipe for a few years, even though I know it’s more “comfort” than “healthy.”

To be honest, when we first made this soup, I was skeptical.  But once it was made, I was hooked!  And my recipe for the baked tortilla strips compliment it nicely, too!

“Vitamix Chicken Tortilla Soup”

This is based heavily on The Blender Lady’s recipe for Tortilla Soup, but I had to tweak to make it work for my family.

• 1 stalk of celery
• 1-2 handfulls kale (or spinach or cabbage – you choose!)
• 1 slice red pepper
• 2″ slice  yellow squash (may also use zucchini, or a little of each)
• 3-4 lg roma tomatoes OR campari tomatoes (6-8 small or 4-5 large ones)
• Cilantro to taste (We used about 2 small stalks.)
• A medium clove of Garlic
• A slice of jalapeño pepper to taste
• Sea Salt to taste
• 2-3 shakes of your favorite southwest spice mix
• A vegetable bullion cube
• 3-5 1 inch cube of cheese of choice (We’ve used cheddar, pepeprjack, monterey, etc – all are good for us!)
• 1 can black beans
• 2 c frozen corn
• 1 envelope Mexican or Spanish rice, prepared as directed
• 1 pkg fajita flavored chicken strips, cut in to smaller chunks to preference (We like tiny pieces for tiny toddler mouths.)

In Vitamix, blend the celery, kale, squash, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, salt, spice mix, bullion cube, and cheese until   becomes a broth consistency.  Add half can of black beans, and blend until desired consistency.  (I blended until beans became part of broth consistency.)  Add broth to pot, and warm with remaining black beans, corn, rice, and chicken.  Top with homemade baked tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.  Makes 8-12 2 c servings.

** If you’d like, you can change the consistency of the soup to a courser, more chili-like soup by utilizing the variable speed on your blender.  Instead of pulsing until you have a broth consistency, lower the speed for more -um- lumps.

Also, check out my recipe for homemade baked tortilla strips and “my mom’s” chicken tortilla soup: