Since as long as I can remember, my family has been making and eating Tortilla Soup with shredded chicken. Growing up it’s something we ate in our family once a month during warm months and about once a week during chilly weather months. My family recipe has always been really simple but packs a total flavor punch!
I was having a big craving for tortilla soup recently, so decided to make a double batch to enjoy through the week. I didn’t have any chicken on hand, but I had some carnitas leftover in the refrigerator from when we teamed up with the National Pork Board and made these tasty Carnitas Burritos, so I thought why not? The results of the Carnitas Tortilla Soup were just WOW!! I couldn’t believe how delicious the tortilla soup was with the shredded carnitas. The soup packed even more flavor, and the carnitas just melted in my mouth. The soft texture of the shredded carnitas goes so well with the tomato broth and the mixture of toppings!
Our tortilla soup recipe is so easy to make and comes together in under 1 hour. We use canned fired roasted tomatoes which is such a great way to add a nice smoky flavor to the soup without any extra work. The corn and black beans add some nice texture to the soup, and I LOVE to load the soup with lots of toppings and garnishes. You can pick and choose different toppings to your personal taste, but we think the more the better with tortilla soup!
We used pork shoulder for our carnitas and love the versatility! Not only have we used it for our burritos, but also in enchiladas, in a variety of noodle dishes, thinly sliced in sandwiches, and now we can add tortilla soup to the list! If you’re looking for other creative ways to incorporate pork dishes into your meal rotation we highly recommend heading over to the National Pork Board website for tons of delicious recipes that will totally satisfy even the pickiest eater! They also provide a deep knowledge of all the different cuts, proper internal cooking temperatures, nutritional information, and so much more! Enjoy!
Carnitas Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 diced yellow onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 seeded and diced jalapenos
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained and pureed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained
- 1 cup charred corn kernels
- 3 cups shredded carnitas
- 2 limes, juiced (plus more wedges for garnish)
- 1 cup fried tortilla strips
- 1 avocado, peeled pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (plus more leaves for garnish)
- 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour oil into a pot and place over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, garlic and jalapenos and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until onions become soft. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add cumin and chile powder and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Pour pureed tomatoes to pot and stir together, about 1 minute.
- Pour stock into pot and stir together. Bring soup to boil, then lower heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
- Stir black beans, corn, carnitas, cilantro, and lime juice to soup and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and adjust seasonings(salt and pepper) as needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top each with fried tortilla strips, diced avocados, cilantro leaves, and crumbled cotija. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
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My family loved it and this was a great way to use up leftover carnitas. I didn’t quite have as much carnitas as the recipe called for so I doubled the black beans. I didn’t purée the tomatoes to take out a step. Other than that, I followed the recipe. Absolutely delicious, flavor was fantastic, it was gone and my kids complimented it so many times. Thank you for a great recipe!
Teri Lyn Fisher, wow this recipe is a wonderful. We have family dinners every Sunday and I didn’t know what to cook. It’s still a little bit cold here in Las Vegas so soup came to mind. I opened my freezer and saw frozen pork loin. Thinking Carnitas ! Scrolling in my phone, bingo. Your Carnitas tortilla soup.!!!. Read the recipe and the ingredients and this what we are gonna serve. There are six of us and we always have a light breakfast. We doubled your recipe, cooked it in two pots. My wife and I worked together to prep and cook so we can have dinner at 5 pm. The six of us almost finished both pots. !! 1- bowl left over . Grandchild took it to work for lunch. Let me tell you. All of us really enjoyed it. So flavor full. Copied the recipe to pass on. Thank you very much Teri. We will serve this wonderful recipe for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.😍