July 10/Tualatin, Ore. -- Pacific Natural Foods is tapping into global favorites to expand its collection of Soup Starters, with the introduction of Thai Tom Yum and Tortilla soup bases. The Soup Starters line, which launched last year with Vietnamese-style Pho soup base, reflects a growing interest in "speed scratch cooking," offering shortcuts for making and customizing complex ethnic dishes at home.

"People want to recreate the restaurant experience at home, but few have hard-to-find ingredients like lemongrass or galangal on hand, much less the time to let a broth simmer for hours," said Kevin Tisdale, Pacific Natural Foods' vice president of marketing. "With Pacific's Soup Starters, we've done the hard work for you. Warm up the base, add in your fresh ingredients and dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes."

Tortilla soup, thought to date back as many as 2,500 years ago to central Mexico, is a family favorite in the Southwest and beyond. Like the classic soup of Mexico City, Pacific's Organic Tortilla Soup Starter leads with a tomato base, seasoned with green peppers, onions, a hint of lime and traditional spices including chili powder, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander.

Inspired by one of the most popular Thai dishes worldwide, the savory Organic Tom Yum Soup Starter is both spicy and sour, made with authentic spices such as galangal and lemongrass. Customizable to taste, flavorful add-ins such as shrimp, bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions and chili paste provide endless possibilities to personalize the dish.

Tortilla and Tom Yum Soup Starters hit store shelves this summer, with a suggested retail price of $3.49-$3.69 for a 32oz carton. Like Pacific's Pho Soup Starter offerings released last year, QR Code technology on-package will guide smartphone users with recipes, cooking tips and shopping lists.