Tortilla Soup: A Healthy Freezer Meal
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup is a meatless “one pot wonder” This easy dinner idea takes about 10 minutes to make, feeds a crowd, and only gets better the longer it sits. Make it ahead and freeze for later. Great meal idea for groups. It’s also great freezer meal.
I have this new small goal of having at least one day a week be meatless. This is for three reasons: it’s cheap, it’s often healthier, and it’s better for the environment (raising animals utilizes much more of our natural resources than raising crops).
Tonight’s EASY one pot wonder was what I’m dubbing “Anything Goes Tortilla Soup”. This meal takes about 10 minutes to make, feeds a crowd, and is full of flavor. Don’t forget to make extra and freeze some for later. This recipe is a GREAT freezer meal.
This recipe is a “dash of this/dash of that” or “I had this on hand” kind of one. Feel free to adapt as you like. Make sure to use a quality stock pot like the one we recommend in our Kitchen Favorites page.
The important thing for me, since there are quite a few convenience foods included, is to select canned items with as few ingredients as possible. Read labels and look for canned foods or mixes that don’t contain trans fats, MSG, GMOs, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce. When it doubt, look for organic versions.
Also, despite what my picture shows below, you should make your own Taco Seasoning!
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This one-pot wonder is packed with flavor, but is also vegetarian! This winning combination of ingredients and flavors is sure to impress your family and friends.
Ingredients
- 1, 32 ounce box chicken or vegetable stock
- 1, 15 ounce can refried beans
- 1, 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1, 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes (juice and all)
- 1, 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1, 15 ounce can of corn, drained
- 1 cup cooked instant brown rice
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons all-natural taco seasoning mix (either make your own or use a store-bought packet)
- Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to directions on the box.
- In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients (except optional toppings) and let simmer over medium-low heat for at least 15 minutes (but longer is fine).
- Serve warm with preferred optional toppings.
Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Freezer Meal Instructions:
To Freeze*:
Combine the broth and refried beans in a large pot. Whisk until smooth. Then, add in all other ingredients and stir. Carefully ladle the soup into freezer bags or containers and seal BEFORE cooking. (Hint: It helps to have one person hold the bag and another ladle the soup. Make sure the bags seal completely.) Freeze until ready to use. Or, another option is to cook the soup fully, cool it and freeze for later.
To Prepare:
Thaw in the refrigerator or using the defrost setting on the microwave. Cook on stove-top according to directions. (Note: If soup is fully cooked, then warm gently over low heat on stovetop or in crockpot.)
The Best Freezer Meal Resource
Although we love the recipes from our blog like this one, we actually spent over a year painstakingly developing, testing, and retesting over 75 new, freezer-friendly recipes for our cookbook called From Freezer to Table (Rodale Books).
All of the recipes in From Freezer to Table are delicious, made from whole foods, are easy to prepare, and can be made fresh or frozen for later. Plus, every recipe includes freezer meal instructions. Our cookbook is a beautiful resource you will pull out again and again! (Scroll below for a sneak peek of a few favorites from the book.)
What do you think of adding a can of enchilada sauce? Also, I have barley instead of brown rice(usually cooks good in slow cooker)? Lastly, if I switch this to the instapot what time would you suggest (14 minutes?) thanks
I haven’t tested enchilada sauce, but I’m sure it would work in place of the salsa. Barley would work just fine. 7 minutes with a quick release in the Instant Pot is all you’ll need with barley.
This was SO easy and yummy. My husband almost finished his second bowl before saying “is there no meat in here”? I’d say he didn’t really miss it.
Nobody has an excuse to not make dinner, seriously, 10 minutes! I have included your recipe in my March Real Food Meal Plan. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks so much for linking to us! You have a great site!
Found your site while looking for vegetarian freezer meal ideas. This was my first recipe of yours that I tried and it was a big hit at my house. Even my picky 7 year old who eats nothing ate an entire bowl and asked me to make it again sometime. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best kind of comment to me. I know how hard it is to find a recipe that makes everyone in the family happy! Yeah!
Love your healthy freezer meal recipes! Right up my alley 🙂 I found a homemade refried beans recipe for the crockpot on another site, but cannot recall which one. At any rate, it calls for 2 cans of kidneys, a quartered onion, garlic, and Mexican seasonings to taste. I use dried kidneys or Anasazi instead of canned. It is TASTY, healthy, and EASY! 🙂 Plus – no can. I just throw it all in the crock before going to bed. Ready in the morn.
What a great idea! Do you smash the mixture when it’s done or use an immersion blender on it? Just wondering how you can get a smoother consistency.
Does this freeze well? Also, would you cook it first then freeze or add all ingredients and freeze before cooking?
It does freeze well, as do most soups. You will cook it fully, let it cool, and then freeze in a BPA-free freezer bag or air-tight container for up to 3 months. Rewarms easily over low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
Great! Thanks so much!
Really like the idea of serving up some taco soup, think the kids will really enjoy. Thanks for the idea.
Mmm. mm. looks yummy!