Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
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Filled with beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and more, our Vegetarian Tortilla Soup only gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. It’s the easiest, healthiest “one-pot wonder” soup ever! I’ve been making and freezing it for years for my family.
Or try our Crockpot Tortilla Soup or Instant Pot Tortilla Soup.
“I loved this! So delicious and filling. It was a snap to put together. Definitely make this again and again!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Iris
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- It’s cheap to make. The ingredients are very affordable and it makes a big batch. You can keep all the ingredients on hand in the pantry.
- 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, this one will be your jam.
- It’s freezer-friendly. There are multiple options on how to freeze this soup.
- It’s flexible. It can also be made in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
- You can mix up the ingredients. Don’t have green chiles? 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.
- 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 frozen 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 on the Stove
It’s just so easy. In a large pot, combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.
Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally while it cooks.
Stir in the cooked rice and serve warm with optional 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.
What to Serve With Tortilla Soup
When serving tortilla soup, top with your favorite Mexican toppings, like torn up tortillas or crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado or red onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, shredded cheddar, etc. Serve with one or more of these side dish ideas.
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 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 package of cooked rice.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the soup according to instructions. Stir in the rice. Let cool. Freeze in freezer bags, containers, or Souper Cubes, 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.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream, cream cheese, 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.
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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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
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
- 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
- 1–2 cups cooked brown rice (sub: frozen cauliflower rice)
- Optional Toppings: torn up tortillas or tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, lime wedges, diced avocado, sliced or minced jalapeños
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Instructions
- In a large pot, combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning. (Note: If using frozen cauliflower rice in place of brown rice, you can add this now.)
- Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.
- Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally while it cooks. Stir in the cooked rice and serve warm with optional 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
- Short-Cut Option (new!): I have now tested this recipe multiple times using instant brown rice–the kind that boils for 5 minutes and sits for 5 minutes. It works! Add at the end of the cook time when there is about 5 minutes left.
- Optional Topping Ideas: lime wedges, diced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, minced jalapeños, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, crushed tortilla chips.
- 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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Made this for our bible study youth group. I had several families ask me for the recipe and there was nothing left for leftovers that night everyone finished what I had made.
Always fun when people ask for the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Laurie.
Easy and delicious. Everyone loved it!
Yay! Love to hear this Beth. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
cheap, easy and tasty!
Can’t beat that Patty! Thanks for leaving a review.
This soup has loads of flavor. I only changed a few things. One was I had spicy vegetarian refried beans and the other is instead of only black beans I found organic tricolor beans which was black, pinto, and kidney beans. My changes weren’t really changes just slightly different products used. For a side, my picky husband, who asked to eat this two nights in a row, had a cheese quesadilla. If he wants it twice in a row, it has to be good.
Thanks Cindy! Those product changes sound delicious! I’m going to have to look for those spicy refried beans. We always love to hear when a picky eater has been won over. Thank you for leaving a review!
I make this recipe often. It is a great base and then we put the add-ins on the side so the kids feel like they get to customize theirs. Everyone loves it!
Yes, the add-ins can really make it different for each person. Love this!
I loved this! So delicious and filling. It was a snap to put together. Definitely make this again and again!
Thanks for great ideas for easy meals.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I always have the ingredients for this one in the pantry. 😉
Hello! I’d love to make this with meat – either shredded chicken or ground beef – I could add the already cooked meat at the end. But was wondering if I should use beef or chicken broth? Also, if i did use raw meat should i use chicken breast? Any thoughts? Thanks for your wonderful cookbooks and website! Keep pressing on as you are making a world of difference to many many households!!
Hi Kelli. Thanks for your kind words!
I think this recipe would work easily with raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) and chicken broth. Just add in 2-3 chicken breasts along with all the other ingredients and cook for about 3 hours on LOW in the slow cooker, 7 minutes in the Instant Pot with quick release, or gently simmer for about 15 minutes on stovetop. Make sure it reaches 165°F internally. Remove and shred with two forks and stir back into the soup.
Our Chicken Taco Soup is fairly similar but has more fresh veggies, if you want to try it: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/chicken-taco-soup/
Our Mexican Soup is a related recipe using ground beef, if you want to go that route: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/crowd-pleaser-mexican-soup/
Thank you so much for responding so quickly! And for the other soup suggestions. I am going to try all three!
What do you do when your college freshman son calls and tells you he and his buddies have been out sledding and are starving and they’re wondering if they could just come over for dinner…in about 30 minutes? You make this soup, of course!! This has been one of my family’s favorites for a while now, and I have made the official decision to keep all the shelf stable ingredients on hand at all times. And on that particular snowy night I was sure grateful I did! I was able to throw it together in 30 minutes or less, and a big batch fed my family of five plus six hungry college guys! Thanks, Thriving Home!
Lori, I LOVE this so much. I keep all of these staples on hand, too. Thanks for sharing!
Just had to add a P.S. to my comment from January. I just moved the aforementioned college kid out of his dorm for the summer, and ran into the mother of one of his hallmates as we were loading the car with dorm stuff. When I introduced myself, she smiled and said “Oh, you must be the lady who made that soup the night the boys went sledding! Please tell me where to find that recipe!” I was more than happy to do so. 🙂 Thanks to you guys, I’m now known as “the Soup Mom” in the dorm, and I love it. 🙂
Ahhh, love this, Lori! Thanks for sharing about our site/recipe.
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!