One of the best things about winter is getting to make (and eat) soup. I can’t pass up any sort of mexican soup – especially if it’s got cream or cheese in it. My grandma sent me this recipe, and I’ve been waiting to try it for a few weeks now. (Sadly I’ve been ‘saving’ up for the ingredient items and purchasing them piecemeal over the last few weeks.)
Sunday is a great day for me to cook and prepare what I’ll eat for either dinner or lunch for the coming week. This recipe should suffice. It makes a huuuuuge pot. I found that I had to add (what seemed like) quite a bit of cornstarch to get it to thicken.
ingredients.
- 3 T. butter
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 c. freshly chopped cilantro (divided)
- 4 oz chopped green chiles (divided)
- Chili powder to taste
- Ground cumin to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
- 1.5 qts. chicken stock
- 7 oz hot salsa
- 1/2 c. enchilada sauce
- 1 15-oz jar nacho cheese sauce
- 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
- cornstarch to thicken
- Quesadilla Croutons, sour cream and cilantro for garnish
directions.
- In a large saute pan, melt butter. When hot, add celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until tender. Add some of the fresh cilantro, some of the green chiles and chile powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Add shredded chicken. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add salsa, enchilada sauce and nacho cheese sauce. Let simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add cream, remaining cilantro and chiles. Add additional chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. If needed, thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water – whisk into soup.
- For quesadilla croutons: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Met some butter in the skillet. Place a flour tortilla in the skillet and top with grated Monterrey jack cheese and a few cilantro leaves. Grill the tortilla until nicely browned and the cheese is bubbling. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for one minute and cut into 1-inch long strips.
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 