All About Lime Soup
What is Lime Soup (Sopa de Lima)?
It is a bright, flavorful soup made with meat, vegetables, and lime – either the juice, zest or both. Its defining characteristic is the bright, “fresh” flavor that comes from the inclusion of lime juice. Some of the other ingredients include meat, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, bell peppers, and fried tortilla strips.
Why I Made It
I originally made it because it sounded both interesting and quite tasty. This time, I made it simply because I wanted to.
I’ve made it several times in the past, and it’s always been a wonderful addition to my weekly meals.
What You Need to Make It
For this version, you’ll need a meat, like chicken, some vegetables, egg noodles, and a lime.
I recommend using chicken breast since it has a lighter flavor and doesn’t take away from the other ingredients.
The vegetables you use can vary from what the recipe recommends. However, you’ll generally want things like onions, tomatoes, peppers, and maybe cilantro.
While you don’t need a fresh lime to make this, I do recommend it over bottled lime juice.
Why You Should Make It
It’s a very simple, relatively fast-to-make soup. None of the ingredients are too expensive, either.
It also has a unique, refreshing flavor that I haven’t found anywhere else.
What Can Go Wrong
While this soup is pretty forgiving, there are some things that could make it just good instead of great.
Firstly, you want to be sure not to overcook the chicken. Overcooked chicken will make every bite into a texturally unpleasant experience, and is probably the biggest thing to watch out for.
Similarly, undercooking the onions can lead to some undesired crunchiness.
Using the wrong pepper for your tastes can also make this less-than-stellar. If you’re not a fan of spice, you’ll want to use something like bell pepper rather than jalapeno.
You’ll also want to remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno, or things may be too spicy.
How to Make Fried Tortilla Strips
While I’ve never eaten this with tortilla strips, they’re a common addition that some people may want to have. Since it’s simple and doesn’t fit neatly into the recipe, I’ll briefly explain how to make them here.
Cut some small corn tortillas into strips, then throw them in a large medium-heat pan with some vegetable oil.
Continue stirring them around in the pan with the oil until they’re moderately crispy. Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain off excess oil.
What to Serve With Lime Soup
Anything that goes well with other soup would be great with this. That includes things like salads, bread sticks, or dinner rolls.
The pairings may not feel as natural as something like tomato bisque, but they’re definitely tasty.
Conclusion and Recipe
Below I’ve listed the ingredients, ingredient amounts, and steps for making this lime soup.
If you like this recipe, consider following me on WordPress or Pinterest. If you’re looking for more soup ideas, check out my oven-braised split pea soup.
Ingredients
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken*, diced, 227 grams
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced yellow onion, 77 grams
2 Tbsps olive oil, 28 grams
chicken broth or stock, as needed**
1/2 lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, 3 grams
1/2 lb dry egg noodles, 227 grams
1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced
Chopped cilantro, for serving, optional
Preparation
Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until well-browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Turn the heat to medium-low and add the onion, garlic, salt and tomatoes and cook until the onion is very soft.
Add the chicken broth and raise the heat to high, then bring to a boil. Cook the egg noodles in the broth until almost done, then turn off the heat.
Add your remaining ingredients***, stir, then serve. If using, add the cilantro individually to each serving.
Notes
* I recommend using chicken breast here due to its lighter flavor. You can technically use dark meat, like thighs, but the flavor will be more pronounced and potentially off-putting.
** The amount largely depends on the shape of your cooking vessel, and how much liquid you want to have. I used a fairly wide dutch oven, and ended up using 3-4 cups of broth (720-960 grams).
*** This includes the lime juice, jalapeno, and chicken.
If the chicken wasn’t fully cooked from step one, add it towards the end of the pasta’s cook time so it finishes cooking.
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