Tortilla Soup with Black Beans: An easy gift for your child’s teacher!
The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and everyone is searching for the perfect teacher gift. Christina posted about a sweet “Thank Your for Helping Us Grow” teacher gift from her son, and I made one a few years ago from the whole class. This year though, I did something a little different.
Spring is a SUPER busy time of year for parents and teachers alike. I decided to send home a simple homemade meal for my kids’ teachers to enjoy, and I made a big batch so we could have some for dinner too! I emailed the kids’ teachers on a Friday and told them that in appreciation of all they do and in recognition of what a busy time of year it is, I wanted to make them dinner. I told them what I had in mind – clarified that there weren’t any allergies I was not aware of – and asked them to reply with how many people the meal should serve. Then I dropped it off the following Thursday morning with enough time before school started so that they could come up and grab it from the office and put it in the fridge. While I made the soup myself, I also got my kids involved by having them slice up a bunch of strawberries that I included in a separate tub. Here’s the fabulous soup recipe I used! I even included a baggie of tortilla chips for them in crumble on the top.
Tortilla Soup with Black Beans
(from Martha Stewart Everyday Food)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
10 oz frozen corn kernels
salt and pepper
1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions:
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder about one minute. I usually use 1/2 tsp on chili powder. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, broth, corn and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the crushed tortilla chips and cook until softened, about two minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Serve soup with additional chips if desired.
I used to be a teacher, so trust me. Your child’s teacher would much rather have this than a #1 Teacher mug….
