Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
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Crock Pot Tortilla Soup is a hearty, healthy, and flavorful soup that’s incredibly easy to make. It’s filled with a variety of vegetables, beans, and spices that are slow-cooked to allow the flavors to meld together.
Or try our stovetop Vegetarian Tortilla Soup or Instant Pot Tortilla Soup.
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- It’s cheap to make. The ingredients are very affordable and it makes a big batch.
- It’s healthy. This soup is jam-packed with vegetables. The refried beans and rice make it filling too.
- It’s made in one pot. If you value recipes with minimal dishes (me!), this one will be your jam.
- It’s freezer-friendly. There are multiple options for how to freeze this soup.
- It’s flexible. It can also be made on the stovetop or Instant Pot.
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup (made on the stovetop)
- Instant Pot Tortilla Soup
- You can mix up the ingredients. Don’t have green chilis? Add a little more salsa. Don’t have rice? Try quinoa. Have fresh veggies on hand? I’ve thrown in chopped zucchini, spinach, and diced bell pepper before with great results (just cook until they are soft).
Ingredients
While I typically stick to the ingredients below, feel free to use up what you have on hand with this “kitchen sink”-type soup.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetable broth (or chicken broth) – I like Pacific brand from the store or make your own chicken broth.
- Vegetarian refried beans – Look for ones that have all recognizable ingredients. I like Siete brand.
- Petite diced tomatoes – If you want to kick up the flavor, try adding fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
- Mild or medium salsa – My favorite is Mateo’s brand.
- Taco seasoning – Use our homemade taco seasoning, if you want. It’s delicious.
- Cooked brown rice – Or throw cauliflower rice in with all the ingredients and cook with all the other ingredients!
What Brand of Brown Rice Should I Buy?
I highly recommend Lundberg Organic Brown Rice, as it’s grown in California and is a brand that actively cares about avoiding dangerous arsenic levels in their rice. (Read more about how rice–especially when it’s grown outside California, Pakistan, and India–is contaminated by arsenic here.)
How to Make Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot
It’s just so easy.
Combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning in the slow cooker. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
At the end, stir in the cooked rice and serve warm with your favorite Mexican toppings.
Pro Tip: Add Chicken!
If you want to make this a chicken tortilla soup or use up some leftover rotisserie chicken, just add the fully cooked chicken in when you add the rice.
Another option is to make our Chicken Taco Soup.
How to Serve Tortilla Soup
- Top with your favorite Mexican toppings, like torn up corn tortillas or crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado or red onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, shredded cheddar, etc.
- Serve with Sweet Potato Corn Bread and/or Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.
- Freeze leftovers in single-serving glass bowls or Souper Cubes. Thaw overnight and warm up for a healthy lunch. Works great to send in a thermos in a lunchbox, too.
Make It a Freezer Meal
You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for make-ahead freezer meals.
Not only have we written two freezer meal cookbooks but we also have some amazing 1 Hour Freezer Prep Plans that walk you through how to make 6 meals in one hour.
Like so many of our freezer meal recipes, this soup will work beautifully as a freezer meal.
Freeze For Later:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Combine all ingredients in a pot/bowl, except rice and optional toppings. (Don’t worry if the refried beans aren’t completely integrated.) Carefully ladle the soup into gallon-sized freezer bags or containers and seal. Package the cooked rice in a small freezer bag and freeze alongside the soup.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the soup according to instructions. Stir in the rice. Let cool. Freeze in freezer bags or containers, as individual servings or one full meal. Freeze until ready to use.
Prepare From Frozen:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Fully thaw the soup. Cook according to instructions.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Warm over low heat on the stove or in the slow cooker.
More FAQs
You sure can. Just stir in sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the very end.
Yes, this recipe is super flexible. When you add in the rice at the end, you can also add fully cooked shredded chicken or fully cooked taco meat. Or try our easy Crock Pot Taco Soup.
This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. However, when buying processed ingredients from the store, it’s always important to check the labels if you have a gluten allergy. Make sure store-bought broth and taco seasoning is labeled gluten-free.
Any type of fully cooked rice will work. I prefer brown rice or cauliflower rice because it’s healthier. I’ve also used quinoa instead of rice, as well as our Cilantro Lime Rice. P.S. You did know you can freeze rice, right?
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Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
Crock Pot Vegetarian Tortilla Soup is a hearty and flavorful soup that is perfect for cold weather or any time you’re craving a warm and comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock (sub: chicken broth)
- 1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian refried beans (sub: drained pinto beans that have been smashed with a fork)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (sub: kidney or pinto beans)
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained (sub: 2 cups frozen corn)
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (juice and all) (Tip: Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are delicious!)
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (sub: 1/2 cup salsa)
- 1 cup salsa (this is my absolute favorite salsa)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
- 1–2 cups cooked brown rice (sub: cooked quinoa or cauliflower rice)
- Optional Toppings: torn up corn tortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, crushed tortilla chips, lime wedges, diced avocado, sliced or minced jalapeños
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Instructions
- To a 5-or-6 quart slow cooker, add the stock, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Stir in the cooked rice. Serve warm in bowls with your favorite Mexican toppings.
Freeze For Later:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container with lid, except rice and optional toppings. (Don’t worry if the refried beans aren’t completely integrated.) Seal and freeze alongside a freezer bag of cooked rice.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the soup according to instructions. Stir in the rice. Let cool. Freeze in freezer bags or containers, as individual servings or one full meal. Freeze until ready to use.
Prepare From Frozen:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Fully thaw the soup. Cook according to instructions.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Warm over low heat on the stove or in the slow cooker.
Notes/Tips
- The soup will thicken as it sits. Add more broth, as needed.
- If you have a heat-sensitive palate, cut the taco seasoning back to 1 tablespoon and use mild salsa.
- Try adding in frozen or fresh cauliflower rice and cook with all the other ingredients. It works really well, adds even more nutrition, and is virtually tasteless. We have tested this many times, and it’s delicious.
Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.
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We love this soup! It’s so easy, tasty, and nutritious! Sometimes I like to add shredded chicken to it, too.
Yes, so easy to add some chicken to this soup. Glad you enjoy it Julie, thanks for leaving a review.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times since finding it! It’s so delicious, I forget it’s healthy, too! Thanks for sharing.
Healthy & delicious – two of our favorite words to describe our recipes. Thanks for leaving a review Christine!
I make this soup on repeat. It’s so healthy and full of flavor. Great for freezing leftovers too.
Love hearing that, Jill.