This Vegetarian + Vegan friendly Tortilla Soup is my ideal healthy dish, because it doesn’t taste like it’s trying to be healthy! While it’s packed full of vegetables and legumes like black beans, corn, and peppers, it’s also packed with flavor, a little heat, and crispy tortilla strips that seem indulgent (but are secretly pretty good for you too!) And honestly, the fact that it’s a meatless tortilla soup is the best part about it! because the veggies really shine.

Awesome to make ahead and freeze, for lunch, or for a light but satisfying dinner, you’re gonna love this one!

P.S. I recently started cooking dry black beans in my instant pot (finally a use for that thing!) The beans are the perfect texture, and I love that I can make them plain so they’re a blank slate for recipes. Not to mention it’s soooo inexpensive! If you want to give it a try, here’s how I cook mine:
Instant Pot Black Beans: Combine 16 oz dry black beans and 6 cups of water in instant pot. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes with the vent closed. Allow to naturally release for 20 minutes.
After cooking, I store the black beans with their juices in pint-sized freeze-safe containers in the freezer, and grab one whenever I need it just like I would a can of black beans.

Healthy, Simple, Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe

Veggie Tortilla Soup Recipe

Print Recipe

Tortilla Vegetable Soup

Whole canned plum tomatoes are more flavorful and less tinny tasting than canned crushed tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with a tomato masher, with your hands, or in a gallon zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Also, the soup may seem too brothy, but the extra liquid is for the tortilla strips to soak up!

Course: lunch, Main Dish, Soups

Servings: 7 pints

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp + 1/8chipotle chili pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes with their juices crushed
2 bell peppers any color, diced
1-2 jalapeño peppers diced small
2 large ears of corn kernels cut away from the cob
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lime juice from 1 juicy lime

Toppings:

8 corn tortillas sliced into thin strips
sliced avocado
sliced jalapeños
roughly chopped cilantro
lime wedges

Instructions

Prepare The Crispy Tortilla Strips:

Heat the oven to 350F. On a large rimmed baking sheet toss the tortilla strips with a little olive oil and salt (optional.) Spread the tortilla strips in an even single layer and bake 20 minutes, or until crispy.

Make The Soup:

Heat the olive oil in an 8 quart pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, chipotle chili pepper, and oregano, and cook while stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, peppers, jalapeños, corn, beans, stock, and salt.
Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the lime juice to finish.
Serve the soup topped with plenty of crispy tortilla strips, avocado, jalapeños, cilantro, and extra lime wedges.