Our Halloween Tradition

Halloween is just one week away!  I don't know about you, but I am so excited to see all of the cute costumes, eating the candy handing out candy, and a tradition I started last year--Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I posted about it here last year, but I think it's worth sharing again!  Not only is it a crazy festive orange & black {bean} soup, it's pretty tasty, too!

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

serves 6ish; adapted from Girlichef

ingredients:

vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

5 small corn tortillas, cut or torn into strips

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika 

1 "shake" red pepper flakes

1 can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies

1/2 can of tomato paste

1 box (quart) of chicken stock

2 cooked, chopped chicken breasts

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

3/4 c. half & half

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

toppings:

sour cream

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

fried tortilla strips

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a dutch oven, or heavy pot over medium heat; add onion and cook until they are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic, and cook an additional minute.  {at this point, I removed half of the cooked onions, and reserved to add back in after I blended the base, for some extra texture.} Mix in spices and tortilla strips, stirring constantly for a few minutes.  Pour in the can of Rotel {juice and all!}, box of chicken stock and the half can of tomato paste; whisk to incorporate.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  I turned off the heat and used my immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth {you can also do this in batches in the blender.}  Girlichef recommends that you let the soup cool before blending.  I threw caution to the wind--with T-minus 7 minutes until the trick-or-treaters would be beating down the door for the mini Snickers that I already ate, I needed to get dinner on the table.

After you puree the soup, add in the chopped chicken, black beans, half & half, shredded cheese and reserved onions.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Let everything warm through, and then you're ready to serve!

I took a few extra corn tortillas, sliced 'em up, and fried them in vegetable oil until golden & crispy.  We also topped our soup with sour cream, fried tortilla strips & {lots} of shredded cheese!

We will most definitely be eating this next Thursday.  Followed by mass amounts of mini Snickers and Reece's Cups.  Do you have any Halloween traditions?!