I love recipes that are half homemade, meaning some of its from scratch and some is simply not. It is the best way to make good food that is not overly compromised in quality, when you don’t have all the time in the world.

Just the other night, I went to an early dinner at my friend Jennifer’s house. She had a dozen or more guests, most of which had just finished playing soccer for a local league, and all of which were starving. For this casual gathering, she made tortilla soup. Subsequently, she introduced me to another half homemade recipe that I, too, will make next time I have a large group to feed.

Should you like to try it yourself, she’s been kind enough to pass on the recipe!

TORTILLA SOUP
(The first half of the recipe requires a bit of prep work.)
Combine 4 stalks of chopped celery, a 1/2 bunch of chopped green onions, 1 sliced jalapeno, 1 chopped green pepper, a 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro, a medium-sized chicken, and a gallon of water—simmer for about two hours.

Remove the chicken from the liquid (save the liquid), and de-bone. Shred the chicken meat and add back to the boiling liquid.

(But the second half of the recipe requires less work!)
Then add 2 cans Ro-Tel, 1 small and 1 large can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of black beans, 1 can white kidney beans, 2 cans red kidney beans, 2 cans of corn, 1 can green beans, 2 cans black-eyed peas, and 1 can pinto beans.

Season with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste and simmer on very low heat for about 4 hours.

When you are ready to serve, top each bowl with a few tortilla chips (Jennifer prefers Fritos!), some shredded Chihuahua cheese (a soft, white, cow’s milk cheese from Mexico; it can be found at your local grocery store) a dollop of sour cream, and dig in!

Filed Under: Kitchen Tips