Sopa Azteca Mexican Soup (Printable Version)

Smoky tomato-chile broth with crispy tortilla strips, creamy panela cheese, and fresh garnishes.

# What You Need:

→ Broth

01 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
02 - 1 medium white onion, chopped
03 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 4 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
05 - 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
06 - 1 dried guajillo chile, stemmed and seeded
07 - 5 cups vegetable broth
08 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Tortilla Strips

12 - 8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
13 - Vegetable oil for frying

→ Garnishes

14 - 1 ripe avocado, diced
15 - 5 ounces panela cheese, cubed or crumbled
16 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - 1/2 cup crema or sour cream, optional
18 - 1 lime, cut into wedges

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute until fragrant.
02 - Add chopped Roma tomatoes to the pot and cook until completely softened, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - While tomatoes cook, toast the dried pasilla and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Do not allow them to burn.
04 - Transfer the softened tomatoes, onions, garlic, and toasted chiles to a blender. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth and blend until completely smooth.
05 - Return the blended mixture to the pot. Add remaining 4 cups broth, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - While the broth simmers, heat approximately 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry tortilla strips until golden and crisp, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
07 - Divide crispy tortilla strips among serving bowls. Ladle hot broth over the strips. Top each bowl with panela cheese, avocado, cilantro, and a drizzle of crema. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crispy tortilla strips stay textured just long enough to matter, then soften into the broth in the best way.
  • Four simple garnishes make you look like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really just spent forty-five minutes.
  • Dried chiles bloom into this deep, smoky complexity that tastes like someone's abuela is in your kitchen coaching you.
02 -
  • Don't blend the broth too quickly or you'll incorporate air and make it foamy, blend deliberately until it's completely smooth.
  • The tortilla strips have to go in last, right when you're serving, or they'll dissolve into the broth like they never wanted to be crispy at all.
  • Taste the broth before serving and adjust salt, because dried chiles are inconsistent about how much flavor they bring.
03 -
  • Keep your tortilla strips in a paper towel lined bowl so they stay crispy and any excess oil gets absorbed, then add them to the broth just before serving.
  • Toast your dried chiles over the stove flame directly if you have a gas range, it gives them an extra dimension of smokiness that a skillet sometimes misses.
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