VEGETARIAN TORTILLA SOUP WITH AVOCADO

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Avocado image

One thing I've missed in the years of my being vegetarian is the delicious tortilla soup a local Mexican restaurant makes. I've finally mastered my vegetarian version, that can easily be vegan if the cheese isn't added at the end. My omnivore boyfriend thinks it's divine! Black beans can be added for extra protein.

Provided by april

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Tortilla Soup Recipes

Time 1h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

3 flour tortillas, cut into strips
cooking spray
1 tablespoon peanut oil, or as needed
1 ½ cups chopped onion
¼ cup chopped red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes with juice, chopped
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups frozen sweet corn
½ cup diced mushrooms
5 cups vegetable broth
¾ tablespoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons hot pepper sauce
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Arrange tortilla strips on a baking sheet and lightly with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
Heat peanut oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat; saute onion, red bell pepper, and garlic until onion is translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, zucchini, corn, and mushrooms; saute until zucchini is slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Mix vegetable broth, chili powder, hot sauce, salt, and pepper into vegetable mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir cilantro into soup and remove stockpot from heat.
Ladle soup into serving bowls; top with tortilla strips, avocado slices, and Monterey Jack cheese.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 259 calories, Carbohydrate 32.2 g, Cholesterol 12.6 mg, Fat 12 g, Fiber 5.7 g, Protein 8.9 g, SaturatedFat 3.9 g, Sodium 621.1 mg, Sugar 7.4 g