Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup

While I am not quite ready for the start of fall and the cold weather ahead, I am very excited about the start of soup season!  Last week I was telling a coworker how anxious I was to start making homemade soup  and she looked at me like I was crazy.  Her response was "you can do that?"  She thought making soup was an all day process.  For those of you that have made soup before you know that it doesn't have to be an all day event.  While I have a few soup recipes that are more labor intensive most can be made in under 30 minutes.

I came across this recipe for Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup years ago in Cooking Light Magazine and it is one of my favorites.  This soup is quick and easy to throw together and requires a limited amount of ingredients. 

Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup
** adapted from Cooking Light

Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 6 servings

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
2 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I add 2 chipotle chiles because I prefer it spicier)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1/2 pound)
sour cream (optional garnish)
cilantro, chopped (optional garnish)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Partially mash tomatoes and beans with a potato masher. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

Top each serving with a bit of sour cream and chopped cilantro if desired.

** If you have an Immersion Blender I would highly recommend using it to mash the tomatoes and beans, it works really well.  A food processor could be used as well.