My Old-School $3 Trick for Making Almost Any Bowl of Soup Taste Amazing (I’ve Been Doing It for 20 Years!)
I’ve never met a soup I didn’t love. With soup season in full swing, I am trying out some new recipes while putting my all-time favorite soups back in rotation. The one soup that’s always on the menu is pozole. One of Mexico’s best dishes, this soup contains hominy, meat, spices, and plenty of fresh garnishes like radishes and cabbage.
The most underrated part of any soup is its companion. While a dinner roll, toasted baguette, or other piece of bread is the most common, no bowl of pozole is complete without a tostada. Like many Mexican and Mexican-American families, I’ve been eating this classic combo since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until last Christmas that I realized it could probably make for a great side for all kinds of soups. Since then the “pozole tostada,” as I’ve dubbed it, has become my go-to for canned American classics, hefty homemade chilis, hearty Japanese takeout, and more.
What’s So Great About Guerrero Tostadas?
A tostada, which quite literally translates to “toasted,” is simply a fried tortilla. Though they can be oven baked, the store-bought ones, like the ones made by Guerroro, are typically fried. They’re sturdy, and thus the perfect vessel for your favorite toppings.
Guerrero tostadas were always in my family’s pantry growing up. The corn flavor is prominent but not overpowering, and they offer a nice crunch, which is an especially pleasant contrast to soup and other soft foods. While we preferred to use them as a side dish for our pozole (which is also our main holiday dish), my mom also served them with tuna salad or chicken tinga on top.
What’s the Best Way to Serve Guerrero Tostadas?
Most tostadas are dressed to the nines — a salsa or cream base, protein such as chicken or pork, veggies, fresh garnishes, cheese, and sometimes an extra drizzle of salsa or cream. For a pozole tostada, though, all you need is two ingredients: Mexican crema and queso fresco. (I recommend Cacique for both the crema and queso fresco; it’s always been a consistent and reliable brand throughout my childhood and beyond.)
Simply spread the tostada with a tablespoon or so of crema using the back of the spoon (sour cream works, too, if you prefer a thicker consistency), and then top it with a generous piece of queso fresco crumble.
The neutral creaminess pairs perfectly with the richness and spice of a pozole, but also makes an excellent companion to canned chicken noodle, homemade chili, ramen, gourmet lobster bisque, or a simple tomato soup (step aside, grilled cheese).
I don’t dip my tostada into a soup the way I would a piece of bread (to prevent it from disintegrating). Instead, I drizzle some soup over the top with my spoon. It works just as well to combine every flavor and keeps the crunch factor at a 10. On its own, it makes a pretty great predinner snack.
Buy: Guerrero Tostadas, $2.79 for 22 tostadas at Target
What groceries are you buying to elevate soup season? Tell us in the comments below.