Tortilla Soup with Jackfruit
This vegan version of tortilla soup uses roasted jackfruit in place of shredded rotisserie chicken and has a delicious and comforting flavor. Serve with fresh avocado and top with tortilla chips and cilantro. Perfect as an appetizer for taco night or as a healthy main dish. Makes 12 cups of soup.
I think today’s recipe is one of those really good transition foods for summer to fall. Tortilla Soup is good pretty much any day of the week and it works well as both a light meal or a hearty one, depending on your toppings. Traditional tortilla soup is made with chicken stock and shredded or diced chicken.
I’m using vegetable stock and jackfruit in place of the chicken here to make this soup vegan. It’s pretty versatile and delicious, even without the “meat” but jackfruit brings a good texture to the soup.
We serve Tortilla Soup with Jackfruit loaded with fresh Mexican flavors like avocado, lime, and cilantro but you can top with crema, cheese, or more chips if you prefer. This soup is healthy (like 102 calories per 12 ounces healthy!) but obviously gets less “healthy” with those toppings I mentioned above. I’d say adding avocado is a necessity but then again, we love avocados in our house. So even if you add in a few favorites, you’re still looking at a healthy and delicious meal.
For more info on jackfruit, check out my post for a Vegetarian Cuban sandwich! We mainly use jackfruit for bbq and occasionally shredded chicken (i.e. this soup) but it’s affordable, sustainable, and low calorie so it works well for lots of things.
Hopefully you’ll find this soup to be a winner like we do. And if you’re curious about jackfruit or you’ve never heard of jackfruit, this a good way to try it 🙂
Tortilla Soup with Jackfruit
Equipment
- large stockpot
Ingredients
For Seasoned Jackfruit
- 20 ounces canned Jackfruit = 2 cups drained and shredded
- 2 to 3 tsp lime juice = juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
For Tortilla Soup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups zucchini, diced to approx. 1/2 inch ~1 med. zucchini
- 1 cup bell pepper, diced to approx. 1/2 inch
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup corn kernels any type (fresh, frozen, or canned–drained)
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne
Other (for serving)
- tortilla chips, broken
- avocado, cut into chunks
- fresh squeezed lime juice
- fresh cilantro, torn
Instructions
Make the Seasoned Jackfruit
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Drain jackfruit and rinse thoroughly to remove brine. Press chunks with paper towels or onto a sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. Shred drained jackfruit with two forks.
- In a medium bowl, toss together shredded jackfruit with juice of 1 lime (2-3 tsp), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp ground cumin.
- Spread prepared jackfruit in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes, until lightly browned and dried out. Set aside.
Cook the Tortilla Soup
- As jackfruit roasts*, prepare other ingredients and begin the soup.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Saute diced zucchini and bell pepper for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and softened.
- Stir in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, prepared jackfruit, corn, and spices. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, uncovered (approx. 5 minutes).
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve and Enjoy
- Crumble a few tortilla chips in each bowl and ladle soup over chips. Top as desired and enjoy!
- Refrigerate leftovers (without chips) and use within 5 days.
Notes
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime juice
- avocado chunks (these are delicious with the hot soup– recommend 1/4 of a whole avocado per bowl)
- more crushed chips
- sour cream and/or cheese (if you’re vegetarian)
- Save some prep time by using leftover prepared jackfruit or making the jackfruit the day before
- This soup, like most soups, is excellent the next day!
Nutrition
Hope you’re having a great week so far! It’s Homecoming at our school so my week is pretty busy with my other job (cheer coaching!) so I’m glad to have good, quick meals 🙂 Let me know what all you’d like to see on here and let me know what you think of jackfruit!
-Emma