Produce with Amy

“Cooking requires confident guesswork and improvisation—experimentation and substitution, dealing with failure and uncertainty in a creative way.” — Paul Theroux

Sometimes the best recipes aren’t planned at all. They just happen by serendipity. That’s exactly how this soup came to life. After my son Lukas’ football team dinner, I found myself staring at a pile of leftover onions and bell peppers from the Burrito Bowl Bar we had served. After work I had chopped and tossed them in a pan with butter, garlic powder, taco seasoning, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of Tajín and hauled them to the team dinner at our high school. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to repurpose them for lunch.

The smell alone had me hooked. But then I thought, why not turn this into soup? A little chicken stock, beef broth, rice, and some tomato sauce later, and boom! The most delicious, cozy, accidental creation was born. My husband John took one bite and immediately told me, “Write this down before you forget it!” So here it is:

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Serendipita Soup (Fajita Soup) Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 large chicken breast
• 8 oz steak (your choice of cut)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2–3 bell peppers, sliced (I used green, red, and yellow)
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup rice
• 3–4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 packet taco seasoning ~ I used the McCormick brand (use half for veggies, half for meat). You could also use fajita seasoning.
• 4-5 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• Garlic powder, salt, pepper, tajín (to taste)

Directions:

1. Sauté the Veggies
   In a large skillet, melt butter and cook the sliced onions and bell peppers until soft and fragrant. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, Tajín, and half the taco seasoning. I cooked the onions and peppers separately and I thoroughly caramelized the onions – which makes them soft and sweet. Set aside.
2. Cook the Meat
   Heat avocado oil and cook the chicken breast and steak (sliced into bite-sized pieces), seasoned with the remaining taco seasoning.
3. Cook the Rice
   In a large soup pot, simmer the rice in the beef broth until nearly done.
4. Build the Soup
   To the rice pot, add the sautéed peppers and onions, the cooked chicken and steak, the celery, and the tomato sauce. Pour in chicken stock, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and let everything simmer together for 30 minutes.
5. Serve & Enjoy
   The soup will thicken as it simmers, making it hearty and satisfying. Serve hot with shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips on the side.
6. *Optional ingredients – Would also be fabulous with shrimp, corn, mushrooms, and/or black beans.

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Why You’ll Love It

This soup has all the smoky, zesty flavors of fajitas in a warm and cozy bowl. It’s perfect for chilly nights, game-day dinners, or those times when leftovers surprise you with something better than you ever planned. A perfect helping of serendipity.

Serendipita Fajita Soup. Born out of leftovers, perfected with love, and definitely here to stay in our family recipe rotation. Stop by my Produce with Amy Facebook page and let me know what you think. Remember to take care of yourself and each other.