Mexican Gumbo (or Tortilla Soup)

One of my favorite dishes at Qdoba is their Mexican Gumbo. The soup is actually called Tortilla soup; however, if you ladle it over the top of rice and black beans, then it’s called Mexican Gumbo instead.

This is a super easy dinner option that works well when you are trying to make dinner for a combination of vegetarians/vegans and carnivores. The soup itself is vegan, and you can add anything into the gumbo you want.

Usually I grill some chicken or steak, cut it up, and then that can be spooned into the bowl with the rice & beans before ladling the soup over the top. Then just add any garnishes you want… salsa, cheese, guacamole, etc., and serve along with Tortilla Chips.

The other thing that makes this an easy dinner is that it can be made on the stovetop in less than 1 hour; or you can throw everything in a crockpot in the morning, and then let it cook all day until suppertime. This can also be made in the instant pot, of course. 😊

Mexican Gumbo (or Tortilla Soup)

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

• 1-2 Tablespoons Oil (not needed if using crock pot or Instant Pot)
• 1 cup diced Red Bell Pepper (I use the entire red pepper, even if it’s more than 1 cup)
• 1 cup diced Green Bell Pepper (optional- I usually leave the green pepper out)
• 1 cup chopped Onion
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 28 oz can crushed Tomatoes
• 1 diced Serrano or small Jalapeño pepper
• 32 oz Vegetable Broth
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat
• Stir in peppers, onions, garlic, and cumin.
• Cook 5 minutes, or until vegetable are tender.
• Mix in tomatoes and peppers
• Pour in broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes
• Add in lime juice
• Blend with an immersion blender (optional)

To Serve as Mexican Gumbo:

• Spoon rice and black beans into individual soup bowls. (Add meat of choice to your bowl at this point also, if using)
• Ladle soup over the rice and beans. top with your choice of garnishes, such as pico de gallo, cheese, guacamole, tortilla chips, etc.

Notes

• Oil can be omitted if cooking in Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
• To cook in Instant Pot, add all ingredients into pot, seal, and cook on Soup setting for 30 minutes.
• To cook in Crock Pot, add all ingredients into the pot, and cook on low for 8-9 hours. 

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