Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced bell pepper, any color
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced, omit if you don't like spicy
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado, sliced or diced
• Queso fresco or shredded Mexican blend cheese, for serving, optional
• 8 corn tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Warm 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and jalapeno, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add the broth, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, and cumin, then season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup up to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the black beans and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir to combine.
4. While the soup cooks, brush the tortillas with the 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Stack them in piles of 4, slice each stack in half, and then cut the halves into small strips.
5. Pull the strips apart and arrange them on a greased 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, spreading them as close to a single layer as you can. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
6. Bake the strips in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Toss them, spread them out again, and return them to the oven for 4 – 7 minutes, until they are crisp. Set them aside to cool.
7. If you are serving the full batch of soup right away, stir half of the tortilla strips into the pot. If not, save that step until you reheat the soup.
8. Serve the soup topped with avocado slices, cheese if desired, and additional tortilla strips.