Hot Salsa Soup

I've never been a fan of tomato soup. It just wasn't something we ate at the Wayward Residence. But when I saw a lady on a cooking show make "salsa soup" several years ago—by putting one cup of salsa into a large pot of tomato soup—I knew there had to be a better way. One experiment later, and my hot salsa soup was born.

The "hot" in the name doesn't mean spicy; it's just there as a reminder that this isn't gazpacho, a Spanish tomato-based soup that's served cold. I'm sure you needed the reminder, didn't you?

Hot Salsa Soup

Ingredients:

• 1-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-14 oz cans of petite or regular diced tomatoes
• 1-14.5 oz can of chicken broth
• 1-6 oz can of tomato paste
• Seasonings: basil, cumin, chili powder (adds spicy heat, so omit or go easy on it if you want it mild!), salt, pepper

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place over medium high heat. And add the peppers, onions and garlic. Once the green pepper is tender and starts to look a little translucent, add the cans of diced tomatoes, the chicken broth and the tomato paste. Stir well until the tomato paste is completely dissolved in the soup. Simmer to desired consistency, season to your liking and serve.

Serving suggestions: top with fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges, green onions, cheese, and/or sour cream.

This is also great with fresh tomatoes (I used up a small harvest with this soup one year) or with diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime already mixed in.

We love this with chicken quesadillas! I always dip my quesadillas in my soup. The quesadillas pictured here have cheddar cheese, home roasted red peppers and green onions in them. Yum!

What's your favorite kind of soup?

And some Wayward news: Over the weekend, my first published novel was accepted for publication by [Redacted]! Tentatively titled Saints and Spies, it's scheduled to hit LDS bookstores in 2013 [now on hold pending contract negotiation]! Check out more details on my writing blog.