Quick and Easy Crock-Pot Tortilla Soup

As the weather continues to cool and my thermometer keeps dropping degrees; the ease of making crockpot meals gets factored into my weekly menu planning! Crockpot meals that are quick and easy to make save me time and stress in the kitchen. Last week I decided to make crockpot tortilla soup and it was a smashing success! I have decided to share my recipe for quick and easy crockpot tortilla soup with you. I throw this together right after I put the kids down for their afternoon nap.

Preperation Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Time: 6-8 hours and 15-20 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

What you need:
 1 Container of chicken broth(24-30oz) – or two cans(14oz each)
 1 Can diced tomatoes - undrained (14oz){diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers will give it a kick}
 1 Can of tomato sauce (8oz)
 2 Cups frozen whole kernel corn
 2 Cups chopped carrots (I peel them before I chop them)
 1 ½ Cup chopped onion
 1 Cup chopped green pepper (optional)
 1 ½ Tablespoons of chili powder
 1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
 ½ Teaspoon of garlic powder
 2 Cups chopped cooked chicken (optional- but highly recommended)
 Shredded Mexican Cheese
 Tortilla Chips- broken
 Avocado sliced (optional)

 Cook It:

Combine the chicken broth, diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, corn, carrots, onion, green pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, and garlic powder in the crockpot. Essentailly, this is everything but the chicken in the crockpot.

Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW  for 6-8 hours

You can use precooked chopped chicken for your soup, but I prefer to cook it and chop it myself. I use two boneless skinless chicken breasts for my tortilla soup.  I poach my chicken breasts.

You can do this by placing the chicken breasts in the bottom of a small pot. The chicken breasts should be in a single layer in the pot. Then cover the chicken breasts with water and cover the pot. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then turn off the heat completely. Let the chicken breasts sit in the warm water for an additional 5 minutes and then take them out and chop them up!

Add the chicken(optional) to the soup about ten minutes before serving so that the chicken has a little time to soak up the flavor of the soup without turning mushy and chewy.

Once the soup is ready, ladel it into bowls. Sprinkle with broken tortillas and mexican cheese and avocado (optional) and serve. When serving my toddler I keep the tortialla chips, avocado, and cheese separate.

I got this recipe from one of my siblings and love it! I can throw everything into the crockpot and forget about it. It is quick and easy and tastes great. I eat a whole bowl for dinner and am full. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

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