slow cooker

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup is one of our favorites to freeze and take for school lunches. We like to add chicken to it, but you could definitely make a vegetarian version as well by omitting the chicken.

Getting started

There are a few meal prep strategies that you could do before you make this soup, that will help you stock your freezer for other meals as well. I like to use Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth in this recipe. It’s almost free to make and one batch will give you enough broth to make this tortilla soup, plus an extra three cups to use in another recipe.

Jump to Recipe

You can also get ahead by making a batch of shredded chicken. You will only need about two breasts for this soup, but if you cook and shred 8 chicken breasts, you will be able to freeze 6 more for future meals.

Time-saving tips

You can save time by preparing this recipe in a number of ways:

Prepare the tortilla soup the night before you need it

Assembling the soup in the crock pot, the night before you need it will allow you to simply turn on the slow cooker in the morning and let it cook all day while you’re at work.

If you don’t have the fridge space to store your crock pot over night, consider opening your cans, rinsing beans, chopping onions and garlic and measuring spices as you pre-prep, so you can just add them to the slow cooker in the morning.

Freeze extra portions of tortilla soup for lunches

This soup is a quick weeknight meal, but is also amazing as a hot lunch. You will get 8 2-cup portions from this recipe so it’s a great one to freeze for later.

Toppings and variations

As I mentioned previously, you could definitely make a vegetarian version by omitting the chicken and chicken bouillon concentrate. Adding toppings isn’t necessary but is a nice touch. Some toppings you could add are:

  • Diced avocado
  • Fresh cilantro
  • A squeeze of lime
  • Shredded cheese
  • Tortilla strips or chips
Print

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword make-ahead meals, slow cooker, slow-cooker meals, tortilla soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts Substitute with 2 cups cooked shredded chicken or omit for vegetarian
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 6 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth add 2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon concentrate if using vegetable broth, or omit for a vegetarian version.

Toppings

  • lime
  • avocado
  • shredded cheese
  • fresh cilantro
  • tortilla strips or chips

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except toppings.

  2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

  3. If using whole chicken breasts, remove the chicken and shred it when cooked, then add it back to the soup.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup – The Ultimate Pantry Meal

bowl of red soup
~ SL ~ 4 Comments

Pantry meals are great to have on hand for those nights where things don’t go according to plan. You forgot to defrost the meat, you ran out of a key ingredient, your in-laws popped in for dinner. Also, there’s the whole “I don’t feel like cooking or eating what I planned excuse, that pantry meals accommodate quite well. You can make this soup quickly, with a few basic pantry ingredients.

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Minestrone soup and more favorites

~ SL ~ 2 Comments

We had our first snowfall in Winnipeg in early October and even though I’ve been making soups weekly since September, this snowfall really inspired me to have some solid soup recipes on deck for the winter.

A few weeks ago, I shared my super easy Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup. It’s a favorite because it’s salty, has a variety of textures and it’s EASY! This Minestrone soup checks all those boxes too!

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