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Red Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca Roja)

Name: Red Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca Roja)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 100 ml Soured cream; 2 Ancho chillies; 2 Guajillo chillies; 6 Corn tortillas; 800 ml Chicken stock; 2 cloves Garlic; 100 g Oaxacan string cheese or manchego; 1 Avocado; 4 Tomatoes

40 min (15 prep + 25 cook) Easy 4 servings Centro

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 12 May 2026

Red sopa Azteca variant with tomato and chilli broth and crispy tortilla strips.

About this recipe

Tortilla soup with roasted tomato, ancho and guajillo chilli broth. Red variant of sopa Azteca with crispy fried tortilla strips and melted cheese.

History & Origin

Tortilla soup, also known as sopa Azteca, is one of the most popular and representative dishes of contemporary Mexican cuisine. Its origin lies in central Mexico, where the corn tortilla - a sacred element of Mesoamerican cooking - found in this tomato and chilli broth a brilliant second life after going stale. This red version is the most traditional, prepared in homes across central and southern Mexico. Unlike the green tomatillo version or the pasilla chilli version typical of southern Mexico City, this uses ancho and guajillo chillies which give a deep brick-red colour and sweet-smoky flavour that makes it hard to stop at one bowl. The secret of a good tortilla soup lies in three elements: perfectly roasting the tomatoes and chillies to caramelise their natural sugars, frying the tortilla strips until completely crispy, and the generosity of the toppings: soured cream, melted cheese, avocado and fresh coriander. In Mexican restaurants worldwide, tortilla soup is among the most requested dishes.

Estimated cost

£5.00

Total cost

£1.25

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

320

Calories

10g

Protein

40g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

580mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Roast 4 medium tomatoes, 1/4 onion and 2 garlic cloves on a griddle or directly over a flame until well charred on the outside. On the same griddle, toast 2 deseeded ancho and 2 guajillo chillies for 30 seconds per side.
💡 The roasting should be intense, with black spots, to achieve the smoky flavour.
2
Soak the chillies in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and drained chillies with 1 cup water until smooth. Strain.
3
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot. Fry the strained sauce for 5 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly. Add 800ml chicken stock, season with salt and cook 15 minutes.
💡 Frying the sauce first removes the raw acidity of the tomato.
4
Cut 6 corn tortillas into 1cm strips. Fry in abundant hot oil until fully crispy and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
💡 Day-old tortillas are perfect for frying.
5
Serve the hot broth in deep bowls. Add the fried tortilla strips at the moment of serving. Top with soured cream, grated cheese, diced avocado, fried pasilla chilli and coriander.
💡 Add the tortillas when serving, not before, so they stay crispy.