Tortilla Soup

So, if you're my friend on Facebook you may have noticed there was a bit of a debate about Tortilla soup: Thick or Thin? This is because I have never had it before I made it myself but it was requested by the husband. The first time I made it from a WW recipe and it was pretty good! His complaint: It wasn't thick enough. Hence the question on FB.

So I was given a recipe of a thicker recipe to try. I altered it. A lot. But here it is to begin with and with my changes.

Original Pampered Chef Recipe, Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup (Thanks Geli!)

To prepare and freeze

1 portion Make-Ahead Chicken 3 cups tortilla chips, finely crushed

2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies

8 oz pasteurized process cheese spread,cut into 1-in. cubes

2 tbsp Chipotle Rub

To finish and serve

2 cans (14 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

Optional toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, snipped fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes and additional crushed tortilla chips

1. Prepare and freeze

• In Bag 1, combine chicken, chips and corn. • In Bag 2, combine cheese spread, tomatoes and rub.

• Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze for up to three months.

2. Finish and serve!

To cook and serve immediately

• Add contents of Bag 2 and broth to (4-qt.) Casserole. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring

occasionally.

• Add contents of Bag 1 to Casserole; simmer 4-6 minutes or

until soup is thickened.

• Serve soup with optional toppings, if desired.

To cook and serve from freezer

• Cook contents of Bag 2 and broth as directed above,

whisking occasionally using Silicone Sauce Whisk.

• Add contents of Bag 1 and cook as directed above,

breaking chicken apart as necessary using Bamboo

Spatula.

• Serve soup with optional toppings, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving (excluding optional ingredients):

Calories 370, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 75 mg,

Carbohydrate 29 g, Protein 30 g, Sodium 1770 mg, Fiber 2 g

Ok, looked fine and dandy but as I started going through my kitchen there were some major flaws. Like I didn't have any extra chicken. Whoops. And as I was cooking and adding things to the pot it didn't look like very much, so here are my adaptations:

One nice piece of Steak, sliced thin and into bite size pieces. Brown in pan until just cooked.

Pour in 1 can of chicken broth and 4 cans of water to pan. Add 1 Tbsp Better than Bullion, Veggie flavor. Put 2 cans of diced tomatoes with chilis into food processor and blend until smooth. Add to pan with diced cheese cubes (full 24 oz). Bring to a simmer over medium heat until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.

Add Crushed Tortilla chips (About 20 small corn tortillas, cut into 6 pie pieces with pizza cutter and baked to a nice crisp in the oven and then smashed into itty-bitty pieces.) and about 3 cups of frozen corn.

Cook until soup is thickened and corn is not frozen any longer.

Serve in a bowl with a nice drop of sour cream!