Equipment
Ingredients
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Rice
- 400 g cauliflower, riced
- 30 ml olive oil
- 5 g chili powder
- 3 g smoked paprika
- 2 g ground cumin
- 3 g kosher salt
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
- 15 ml olive oil
- 2 g kosher salt
Soup Base
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
- 3 garlic, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
- 400 g crushed tomatoes, canned
- 900 ml vegetable broth
- 2 g dried oregano, crushed
- 250 g black beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 150 g frozen corn kernels
Garnish
- 50 g queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 avocado, diced
- 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 486 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 16 g
- Sugar
- 13 g
- Sodium
- 1642 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 9 mg
- Potassium
- 1434 mg
- Calcium
- 224 mg
- Iron
- 5.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 118 mg
- Phosphorus
- 361 mg
- Zinc
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 143 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 82 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 4.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 48 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.30 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.33 mg
- Niacin
- 3.1 mg
- Folate
- 154 mcg
- Water
- 494 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. In a mixing bowl, toss the riced cauliflower with olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and kosher salt until evenly coated.
Spread the seasoned cauliflower rice in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
Toss the corn tortilla strips with olive oil and salt. Spread evenly on a second baking sheet and bake at 200°C/400°F for 10 to 12 minutes until rigid and crispy. Remove and let cool.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and jalapeno, sauteing until the onion is translucent and soft.
Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook constantly to prevent burning, allowing the tomato paste to darken to a brick-red color and develop a sweet aroma.
Pour the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and crushed dried oregano into the pot. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Add the drained black beans and frozen corn kernels to the simmering soup. Continue to cook until the beans and corn are completely heated through.
Ladle the hot soup base into individual serving bowls. Top each generously with the spicy roasted cauliflower rice, crispy tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and a wedge of fresh lime.
Chef's Notes
- For a thicker, more traditional texture, ladle two cups of the soup base into a blender before adding the beans and corn, puree until smooth, and stir it back into the pot.
- Ricing the cauliflower yourself in a food processor yields a significantly better texture than pre-packaged varieties, which often steam rather than roast.
- The quality of your vegetable broth makes a massive difference here. Use a robust, dark vegetable stock or a mushroom-based broth to provide deep umami notes that compensate for the lack of chicken stock.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store soup base separately from cauliflower rice and tortilla strips to maintain texture.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze only the soup base. Do not freeze cauliflower rice or garnishes.
Reheating: Reheat soup base in a pot over medium heat until simmering, then add fresh garnishes.
Troubleshooting
Tortilla strips are chewy instead of crispy
Cause: Underbaked or overcrowded on the baking sheet
Fix: Return strips to the 200C oven for 3-5 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning
Prevention: Spread in a single even layer without overlapping and bake until rigid
Cauliflower rice turns to mush in the oven
Cause: Using pre-packaged frozen cauliflower rice containing excess moisture
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but can still be stirred into the soup for flavor
Prevention: Use freshly riced raw cauliflower, and ensure the baking sheet is not overcrowded
Cultural Context
Sopa de tortilla is a traditional Mexican soup originating from the Mexico City region, historically designed to use up leftover stale corn tortillas. This vegetable-forward variation honors the authentic pasilla and tomato base profile while introducing roasted cauliflower for added textural contrast and nutritional density.
