Creamy Garbanzo Tortilla Soup

03/02/10 Filed in: Soup

This was a total hit at my house. My husband ate it for three nights in a row. That is unheard of in my house. Very telling at how good the soup is.

It is an adaptation from an adaptation of a recipe....well, isn't every recipe an adaptation from something else? Recently, on Meatless Monday, a recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen was highlighed. Susan's Tortila Soup with Pinto Beans was based on a recipe she found in Eating Well magazine. She changed up a few ingredients based on what she had on hand and on her personal tastes. I have done the same.

I had actually wanted to make the recipe as it was written in FatFree Vegan Kitchen, but, alas, I failed to do the prep work and never soaked my pinto beans. I had one hour before I had to leave for work. Definitely, not enough time to soak and cook the beans and the soup. I looked through my pantry and nope, no pinto beans in there either. Bummer, I had already started the soup. I was "roasting" my peppers, had the tomatoes in the blender, and the onions were almost done too. Had to make a decision and keep on trucking forward.

Then I remembered two things. I had cooked garbanzo beans in the freezer, thanks to my mother. I had made a wonderful tomato soup a while back with pureed garbanzos that would translate here. (Laura's Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup from Vegan Yum Yum.) Voila! Creamy Garbanzo Tortilla Soup was born!

Garbanzos, also called chick peas, have many of the same benefits as other beans, such as providing valuable fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Garbanzos are a great source of molybdenum, folate and magnesium. Molybdenum is needed by humans in only small amounts. It is a coenzyme used in alcohol detoxification. Low molybdenum can also increase sensitivity to sulfites and other perservatives. It aids in the prevention of tooth decay, prevents anemia, aids in metabolizing fats and carbohydrates, and helps create a sense of well being.

The poblano peppers used in the soup are relatively mild chili peppers. When dried it is called an ancho chili, meaning wide. These are easily found in most grocery stores.

The soup has no actual cream in it, as I am dairy free. The pureed garbanzos give it a rich creamy texture similar to a cream based soup. This I had discovered while making Laura's Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup. Got ya interested?

Ingredient's List:

3 large poblano peppers
2 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon chipoltle chili powder
1 quart vegetable broth
Water to desired consistency
4 cups cooked garbanzo beans
salt to taste
6 corn tortillas, optional
1 large lime, sliced into wedges
avocado, optional
spinach, sliced

If you have a gas stove, hold the peppers over the flames a few minutes until the skin begins to darken. If you only have an electric option, place the peppers in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and press the peppers into the pan until "toasted" on either side. Allow to cool, then slice in strips removing the seeds.

Creamy Garbanzo Tortilla Soup 1

If using the tortillas, preheat the oven to 374 F. Cut each tortilla into 1/4 inch strips. Place the strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15 minutes or until brown. You will need to stir the strips every 5 minutes to be sure the brown evenly.

Add your onion and garlic to the pan with a little coating of olive oil. Saute unitl onions are clear.

In a blender, add tomatoes, onion mixture, and peppers. Blend until smooth. Add oregano and chili powder and blend again. Return this to the pan to heat. Add the vegetable broth, the garbanzos, and salt to taste. Allow this mixture to heat through. Puree this mixture by either returning it to the blender or by using an immersion blender.

Creamy Garbanzo Tortilla Soup 2 (1)

If you have picky greens eaters, add the spinach to the pot before you blend it. They will never know the spinach is in there. (The secret for a suspicious husband who questions anything green.) Otherwise, add the spinach to the soup a few minutes before serving so that the spinach will be wilted but not cooked.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chopped avocado, some tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime.

Creamy Garbanzo Tortilla Soup 5