December is here, and that means soup. I love soup because there so many varieties to choose from, and it is really easy to find a delicious option that is hearty and extremely healthy. Plus, meal prep is a dream. Every fall and winter, I cook soup over the weekend. That way I have an easy dinner for the week ready to go. I also love to make a huge batch and freeze the other half for weeks to come. I mean, who doesn’t love a two-for-one recipe?
Now to the debate. What cooking method do you love the most for soups? I did a poll recently on my blog, and 84% of readers told me that they would rather cook their soups in the crockpot versus the stovetop or Instant Pot. I found this very intriguing! Therefore, this recipe uses the crockpot. Now, let’s dive deep into this delicious tortilla soup.
hearty crockpot tortilla soup
Cook time: 6 hours
1 lb. ground chicken thigh
1 yellow onion
1 jalapeño
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
48 oz. chicken broth
1 c chili verde sauce
15 oz. can of black beans
15 oz. can of corn (unsweetened)
28 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes
4 oz. cream cheese or 4 oz. sour cream
(optional to thicken)
¼ c fresh chopped cilantro
Directions
- Chop yellow onion into bite-sized pieces. Deseed jalapeño and chop it into small pieces as well. Put 2 tbsp of olive oil into a frying pan and heat on medium heat. Add in half of the diced yellow onion and jalapeño. Let sauté for 1 minute. Then add in 3 cloves of minced garlic. Let sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add the ground chicken thigh into the frying pan. Cook it for about 4 minutes on medium heat. While it is cooking, add in 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Mix the seasonings thoroughly into the meat and onion mixture. Then pour it all into your crockpot.
- Add in the remaining 3 cloves of garlic and the other half of your diced onion and jalapeño. Pour your chili verde sauce, black beans (drained and rinsed), corn (drained) and fire-roasted tomatoes into the crockpot and give it a stir.
- Sprinkle over the mixture 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 ½ tsp cumin and 1 tsp chili powder. Stir to incorporate the seasonings. Pour the chicken broth on top and stir again. Turn the crockpot on high and cook for 4 hours. At 4 hours, break apart the cream cheese or sour cream and stir it in. Then cook for another 2 hours on high, stirring occasionally. Once you are ready to serve, stir in the chopped cilantro and let the soup simmer in the crockpot with the lid off for 5 minutes.
crispy tortilla strips
2 ready-to-cook tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp paprika
Directions
- Cut the uncooked tortillas into ½ inch strips with kitchen shears. Then cut those strips in half to create two mini strips. Pour olive oil into a frying pan on medium heat. Cook batches of the strips, sprinkling chili powder and paprika over the top, until they are brown and crispy on both sides (about 5–7 minutes).
- Transfer to a plate with a paper towel underneath to soak up any oil and let sit until ready to serve on top of soup!
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