I must admit that I didn’t realize at first that tortilla soup was an American favorite, but it slowly dawned on me. One of my favorite hotels serves it, there is a movie called Tortilla Soup, and when I asked my Twitter peeps about soups, it came up over and over. Its origins are Mexican, but it has become Americanized over the years. In Mexico City, this soup is made simply with roasted tomatoes, chiles, chicken broth, and corn tortillas. This version is true to the original, with a few additions.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 1/2 sprouted-corn tortillas, such as Food for Life

　　2/3 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth

　　1 cup diced fire-roasted tomatoes, such as Hunt’s

　　2/3 cup store-bought hot fresh salsa, such as Santa Barbara

　　1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

　　1 cup shredded skinless breast meat from a rotisserie or roast chicken

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/3 ripe Hass avocado, sliced

　　1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Place the strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until golden and crisp, about 9 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, chipotle chiles, salsa, and corn in a medium saucepan. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir the chicken into the soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

　　

Step 4

Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Top each bowl with avocado slices, chopped cilantro, and tortilla strips, and serve.

　　

healthy tips

Step 5

Eat more chiles! The fire in fresh jalapeños and cayenne pepper alike comes from a substance called capsaicin. The more capsaicin in a pepper, the hotter it is. Research has shown that capsaicin lowers cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, as well as (counterintuitively) protecting against stomach ulcers. It has also been shown to increase metabolism for about 20 minutes after consumption. More flavor, more calories burned. That’s a no-brainer.

　　

nutrition information

Step 6

Fat: 20g (before), 3.1g (after)

　　

Step 7

Calories: 510 (before), 142 (after)

　　

Step 8

Protein: 12g

　　

Step 9

Carbohydrates: 20g

　　

Step 10

Cholesterol: 22mg

　　

Step 11

Fiber: 3g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 706mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.