Tortilla Soup Knock-Off

During our layover in Dallas last weekend we ate dinner at Pappacito's Cantina. I wasn't feeling super hungry, so decided to try their tortilla soup. I'd never had a Mexican inspired soup without tomatoes and beans, but it was really delicious - so good that I tried finding a similar recipe online so I could make it again, but without success. That meant I had to try recreating it on my own. Here's what I came up with. I don't know how close it will be to their recipe, but I really liked it and will make it again someday.

Tortilla Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 can green chilies
2 chicken breasts/thighs, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
dash cayenne pepper
lots of salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cornstarch in 1/2 cup water

Combine everything but the cornstarch and simmer until done. Add the cornstarch mix to thicken and serve with tortilla chips/strips and grated cheese. Avocado chunks would go with this nicely as well.

Notes: The zucchini was a bit mushy after simmering for an hour, so I probably should have added it later in the process. Wayne thought the would taste great with some big fat noodles added. Maybe there's a chicken noodle soup recipe that would be similar to this to give me some ideas for seasonings. It was great reheated for lunch later, even without tortilla chips and cheese, and there's some in the freezer so I can see how well that holds up.