And the recipe for today is... Tortilla Soup

For all you Café Rio fans out there (and you know who you are, you Wasatch Fronters…), I present today’s recipe: Tortilla Soup. Before you read any further, I should tell you that this recipe does not taste identical to Café Rio’s (this one turns out a little creamy and Café Rio’s is just brothy, not creamy). But, the last time I was at Café Rio and had their soup, I realized I liked this recipe better. One less reason to go out to eat! So why not make it yourself…

Tortilla Soup

1 lb chicken, sm diced
1 cup onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 10.5 oz cans cream of mushroom soup (can use the almost fat-free kind)
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies
Taco seasoning (to taste)
1 can black beans, microwaved to soften
½ -1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
corn chips
low-fat sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Cook and season chicken; drain as necessary. Add onions and green peppers. Cook till onions are translucent. Set aside. In a stock pot on med heat, combine soup, chicken broth and 1 can of water. Mix well. Add tomatoes, green chilies and taco seasoning to taste. Let boil. Add chicken, peppers, onions and black beans. (This soup can also be made in a crock pot, but omit boiling step and it will take a lot longer to heat completely. Add cheese, etc. once the soup is hot). Stir in cheese until it completely melts. Heat until the soup is consistently hot. Add some crushed corn chips for texture. Serve with more corn chips, sour cream and guacamole. This recipes serves a bunch of people (or if your family is smaller, you can enjoy leftovers for several days).