Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Name: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 can jackfruit (packed in water, rinsed and drained); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large yellow onion (diced); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed, minced); 30 ounces canned diced tomatoes; 8 ounces tomato sauce; 32 ounces low sodium vegetable broth; 1 1/2 cups frozen corn; Juice of 1 lime; 2-4 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; Cilantro; Avocado; Cheddar (monterey jack, or Mexican cheese blend); Sour cream; Tortilla strips (store bought, or recipe below); 6-8 yellow corn tortillas; Cooking spray; Coarse kosher salt; Chili powder

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup is fresh, full of flavor, and super satisfying! Made with tons of veggies and canned jackfruit, this soup is healthy, gluten-free and can easily be made vegan.

Two bowls of vegetarian tortilla soup topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeno, and tortilla strips.

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Ingredients
How to make tortilla soup
Top tips
FAQ
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Recipe

I'm going through a huge soup phase this year. After spending my whole life pretty much hating soup, I'm bound and determined to find a way to love it.

We've been trying a new soup every other week or so. Lessons I've learned so far - I need to have lots of extra toppings and tons of flavor every step of the way.

We had some friends bringing us some meals a while back and one of them was chicken tortilla soup. Friends-bringing-you-meals-times are not necessarily the times to stand your ground on food preferences, so I definitely had some of it for dinner, despite the fact that I don't normally eat chicken. I was surprised just how much I loved it, and determined then and there to create a vegetarian version of chicken tortilla soup for the blog.

This recipe for vegetarian jackfruit tortilla soup comes together pretty quick after a little bit of chopping. While it may seem like a long list of ingredients, trust me when I say all those veggies and toppings are what makes this special.

Ingredients

Canned jackfruit
Olive oil
Yellow onion
Garlic, minced
Jalapeño
Canned diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Low sodium vegetable broth
Frozen corn
Lime
Chili powder
Ground cumin
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional toppings, like avocado, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla strips

How to make tortilla soup

Lay the jackfruit on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Using your fingers, press the jackfruit chunks and pull apart into large shreds. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for one minute.
Add the shredded jackfruit and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, corn, lime juice, and spices, stirring to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the tortilla strips.
To serve the soup, ladle into bowls and top with optional toppings and tortilla strips.

Top tips

Using jackfruit

This is where we might need to talk about jackfruit - are you on board? Are you scared? I'll admit I was a little scared too. Let me reassure you that jackfruit is readily available in grocery stores now (I found mine in the natural and organic section) and it's going to be super easy to handle.

Look for a can packed in brine, not syrup. It will list salt and probably lime juice in the ingredients. Make sure you rinse and drain the jackfruit before using. You could also purchase fresh jackfruit, but that may need more preparation than we're going to cover in this post.

I do feel like jackfruit has a bit of a sweet taste in general, but you can easily add more chili powder and even a pinch of cayenne if you need a bit more spice.

A close up on a bowl of vegetarian tortilla soup topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeno, and tortilla strips.

Homemade tortilla strips

Making tortilla strips at home is easy!

While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cut corn tortillas in half, then into about six thin strips. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle to taste with salt and chili powder. Bake 10-15 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.

How to store vegetarian tortilla soup

This will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. I recommend freezing individual portions to make reheating easier!

For best results, I suggest storing the toppings separately from the soup.

Tips for customizing jackfruit tortilla soup:

Swap the jackfruit for a can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Meat eaters can swap the jackfruit for ½ cups cooked, shredded chicken

Spice it up by using more chili powder, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Use whatever veggies you might have on hand such as zucchini, bell pepper, or mushrooms (I would add all with the onion)

Use store bought tortilla strips or chips to cut down on prep time

FAQ

Best tortilla soup toppings

The best part about tortilla soup are endlessly customizable toppings! My favorite toppings are cilantro, avocado, cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or Mexican cheese blend), sour cream, and tortilla strips.

Can this soup be made vegan?

Yes! This soup can easily be made vegan by leaving off the sour cream and cheese, or swapping them for vegan versions.

Can I use fresh jackfruit in this recipe?

Yes, you can use fresh jackfruit in this recipe. However, I do not have this available to me where I live so I haven't been able to test it for recommendations.

You will likely need to be familiar with fresh jackfruit and prepare it properly to use it in this recipe. You can learn more in this post about how to cook jackfruit.