Hormone-Friendly Tortilla Soup

This vibrant vegan tortilla soup is a hearty, nourishing meal packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and hormone-supportive ingredients.

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As winter approaches, so does our natural desire for warm, cozy dishes like this Hormone-Friendly Tortilla Soup. This low-calorie, deliciously fresh-tasting soup couldn’t be easier to throw together for a quick weeknight meal. Topping options are endless, but our favorites are avocado, cilantro, vegan sour cream, fresh lime juice, and crispy baked tortilla chips.

Top 5 Reasons to Love This Tortilla Soup

1. It’s loaded with hormone-friendly ingredients like black and pinto beans, tomatoes, zucchini, red bell peppers, corn, and flavorful spices. These whole food plant-based staples are excellent for helping to support your hormones no matter where you’re at in your menopause journey.
2. This simple, one-pot meal is foolproof and easy to throw together. After you’ve chopped all your vegetables, the rest is a breeze! Cooking everything together in one pot means you spend less time in the kitchen cooking (just throw it together and let it simmer) and less time cleaning up!
3. This tortilla soup is perfect for leftovers! The flavors meld together well upon refrigeration. You can freeze the leftovers in individual portions or store them in the refrigerator for a quick lunch. To change things up, serve this soup over noodles or rice.
4. Finding budget-friendly meals is much more challenging than it used to be. This soup has ingredients, like black and pinto beans, canned tomatoes, and corn, that are relatively inexpensive and easy to find. This makes it a great option to bring to a party or serve to a larger group of guests.
5. Protein is vital for women in menopause, as muscle loss can be a common side effect of low estrogen. This soup is rich with plant-powered protein that can aid in muscle growth and protection.

How This Soup Helps Support Hormones

Eating a well-balanced diet (centered around whole food, plant-based ingredients) is ideal for helping you feel more balanced in menopause. We make it our mission to create recipes that benefit your hormones and overall health. Here are just some of the ingredients in this tortilla soup that have been shown to do just that:

• Black and pinto beans: If you love beans as much as we do, you’ll be happy to learn that they do more than just provide a good plant-based source of protein; they also help with digestion (thanks to all the gut-healthy fiber) and may help stabilize blood sugar (important to prevent insulin resistance).
• Corn, zucchini, and bell pepper: As we age and our estrogen levels decrease, our risk for health issues, such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, and insulin resistance, goes up. Eating more vegetables really is the key to prevention. They contain antioxidants to protect cells and are low-glycemic to prevent blood sugar spikes and weight gain.
• Onion and garlic: Two commonly used ingredients for adding flavor and nutrients in cooking are onion and garlic. But there is more value in them than you might think. They contain compounds that may help reduce cancer risk, protect heart health, and boost immunity.

How to Make This Hormone-Friendly Tortilla Soup

See the full recipe card with measurements and instructions below.

What You’ll Need:

Fresh Ingredients:

• red onion
• garlic
• red bell pepper
• zucchini
• lime juice
• corn kernels

Pantry Ingredients:

• avocado oil
• canned black beans
• canned pinto beans
• fire-roasted tomatoes
• vegetable broth
• cumin
• smoked paprika
• chili powder
• oregano
• salt & pepper

Optional Toppings:

• tortilla strips (or crushed chips)
• avocado
• cilantro
• green onion

How to Make this Recipe:

You begin by heating the avocado oil in a large soup pot that has been preheated over medium-high heat. The onion and garlic are then cooked until you can smell the fragrance of the garlic and the onions have softened.

Put the red bell pepper, zucchini, and corn in the pot and cook for 3-5 more minutes until just tender.

Stir in the tomatoes, beans, broth, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes.

Stir in lime juice and ground pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more salt, as needed. Serve soup with crispy tortilla strips and your favorite toppings. We love avocado, cilantro, green onion, and vegan sour cream.

Storage & Notes:

Storage: This soup stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze in individual portions in freezer-friendly bags or containers for up to 3 months. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Add water or broth if needed to thin.

Notes:

• Increase the protein by adding cooked lentils or cubed tofu, or serve over cooked quinoa.
• Add heat to the soup by adding fresh chopped jalapeños at the same time as sautéing the veggies. Or add a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes while the mixture is simmering.
• Feel free to substitute the fire-roasted tomatoes for regular diced tomatoes.
• Decrease the sodium by using “no-salt-added” beans and skipping the tortilla strips.
• Flavors deepen upon standing. This soup is even better if given enough time to cool and is extra flavorful the next day.