Mexican Tomato Soup with Cheesy Quesadilla Dippers

Something about the cold weather makes me want to stuff my face with super spicy food. Luckily, Mexico was our food destination for the week. Which meant that spicy, hot goodness was on the menu every single day. I LOVED it!

This Mexican Tomato soup, like many of my favourite things, is all about the extras! The soup is hearty and mild without the quesadillas, so don’t be afraid to add more chilli. Let us know what you think in the comments box below!

You will need

For the Tomato Soup:

• 1 small pumpkin cut in chunks
• 8 chopped tomatoes *
• 3 Habanero chillies chopped (or any chilli you prefer)
• 1 large onion chopped **
• ½ yellow pepper chopped ***
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. stock powder
• 750ml water
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• Salt to taste

*      Dice an extra tomato for a soothing tomato salsa
**   Keep 2 tbsp. onion aside for the quesadilla filling (Let it sit in vinegar to reduce the sharpness)
*** Chop extra yellow pepper for the quesadilla filling

For the Cheesy Quesadillas:

• 2 tortillas
• 2 tbsp. diced yellow pepper
• 2 tbsp. onion
• 2 Jalapenos sliced
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or semi-hard cheese of your choice)
• 1 tbsp. cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

Optional Extras:

Hot food is not for the faint-hearted so take a delicious precaution in the form of cooling quesadilla-toppers.
Here are our favourite sense soothers:

• Chopped tomato, cucumber and onion salsa
• Yoghurt or sour cream
• Guacamole or pureed avocado

Method

For the Soup:

1. Melt butter on high heat in a large pot or pressure cooker.
2. Add onions, tomato, pumpkin and yellow pepper to the pot and fry for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, stock powder, black pepper and chillies and fry for 5 minutes more.
4. Mix in the water, close the lid and let the mixture do its thing.
5. 20 minutes in a pressure cooker, and 30 – 40 minutes on the stove or until the pumpkin falls apart. (Prepare the Quesadillas while you wait).
6. Once the veggies are soft remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup until smooth.
7. Add salt to taste.

For the Quesadillas:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Spread Sriracha on one tortilla. Then add a layer of cottage cheese.
3. Sprinkle a little bit of cheddar cheese (thin layers of cheese will keep the quesadilla from falling apart).
4. Add a layer of sliced Jalapenos, yellow pepper and onion.
5. Sprinkle more cheese on the tortilla base.
6. Add the spinach leaves, finish with yet another sprinkling of cheese and place the other tortilla on top.
7. Place the quesadilla on the top oven shelf. Once the top is crispy, after 5-10 minutes, place the quesadilla on the lowest oven shelf until it’s perfectly crisp and golden.
8. Remove the quesadillas from the oven, let it cool for two minutes then cut the quesadilla into eight sections (like a pizza).

Now all that’s left to do is plate!

Happy Eating!