Crock Pot Tortilla Soup: Hearty, Healthy, and Easy to Make

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.

Photo byThriving Home

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.

Photo byThriving Home

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!

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

Can I make it creamy?

Can I add meat?

Can I make this soup gluten-free or dairy-free?

What cooked rice do you use?

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