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So, I may be constantly freezing my butt off, but at least with winter, there is soup!
And pretty snow too, which I am surprisingly still enjoying…but I am definitely at the point where I would not mind a long tropical vacation. But let’s be honest, the only month of the year that I wouldn’t want a tropical vacation is December, any other month of the year – I am all in!
But since there is like zero chances of any tropical vacations this month, I am bringing soup to the table today. Or I guess to the blog, but I think you know what I mean.
Soup is so comforting and cozy, and after a kind of rough Monday + Tuesday, I am so ready for a big bowl of this cheesy Mexican soup.
Lately, I am on a HUGE Mexican soup kick. Meaning I have two other Mexican inspired soup recipes that I want to post sometime before spring and I am wondering just how to get them all in without you guys complaining that I have done one too many Mexican soup recipes. I’ll figure it out though because each recipe is too good not to share.
First up, cheesy chicken tortilla tortellini soup!!!
See, it’s not JUST tortilla soup, it has tortellini… and cheese!! Yes, yes, yes. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Cheese, cheese, cheese. Another big fat YES. You see, I married crazy awesome Mexican flavors with Italian tortellini, and while it is nowhere near traditional, it IS awesome. And one-hundred percent weeknight friends over/family friendly/date night ready. So basically it’s perfect for any night – and all occasions. It’s just an all around, gold medal kind of soup.
And wow. Do I sound like I am selling something or what?!? Sorry. I am either one of three things. Excited, anxious or incredible tired. Err, actually I am combo of all three things at the moment, but I am not complaining. It’s Wednesday, which basically means Friday is almost here and yeah, that’s pretty good news.
OK FOCUS. No more getting off track. Soup!
I made this soup the crazy easy way. A lot of you are probably going to tell me this is not tortilla soup at all, but whatever, I am sticking with my name. This recipe is one I actually made years ago before the blog was even a thing. I remember my mom wanting soup for lunch, but all I could find were a few cans of enchilada sauce, so I made soup out of the enchilada sauce, topped it with tortilla strips and called it lunch. The thing is? That ten minute soup turned out to be awesome and I have been wanting to re-create the recipe ever since.
Of course, all I can remember about the recipe is that I used enchilada sauce and I called it tortilla soup. Oh well, I came up with another quick and easy recipe that would probably knock that old soup recipe out its cozy winter socks. I mean, there is tortellini and homemade tortilla strips involved here….
YUM.
So like I said, this soup recipe is SO easy. The bulk of the flavor comes from the enchilada sauce, meaning there are not a whole lot of ingredients. WINNER. I did make some salty lime tortilla strips that you really have to try. So much better than store-bought and way healthier too!!
Oh, and the tortellini? I know, it’s a little weird in a Mexican soup, but I promise it’s the bomb. SO GOOD.
Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup.
Servings: 6 Bowls
Calories Per Serving: 943 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce homemade or store-bought
- 1 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes 15
- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
- 2 cups cooked black beans rinsed + drained if using canned
- 8 ounces cheese tortellini
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded + more for topping
- juice from 2 limes
- sliced limes diced avocado and fresh cilantro, for serving
Salty lime Tortilla Strips
- 8 corn tortillas sliced into strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- zest of 1 lime
- a good amount of kosher salt
Instructions
- To make the tortilla strips, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the corn tortilla strips to a lightly greased baking sheet. Add the olive oil, lime zest and a good amount of salt. Toss well. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the enchilada sauce, chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and add the chicken, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and easily shreddable.
- Shred the chicken (I find it easiest to remove the chicken and place on a plate, allow it to cool slightly and then shred with your hands or two forks). Stir the black beans and cheese tortellini into the pot, cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until the tortellini is al dente. Stir in the cheddar cheese and lime juice. Simmer until the cheese is melted and/or you are ready to serve.
- To serve, add a few tortilla strips and a handful of cheese to the soup. Divide the soup among bowls. Top with more tortilla strips, cheese, fresh cilantro and limes. Enjoy!
Notes
*To make this in the crockpot, add all of the ingredients for the soup, minus the tortellini to the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken and then stir in the tortellini and black beans. Crank the heat up to high, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve as directed above.
Ladles Up!
The addition of tortellini is genius!! Totally need to make this soon!
Thanks Sophia! 🙂
I love me some Mexican inspired soup, so bring it on! And this looks so comforting! Yum!
Thanks so much! 🙂 Have a great night!
This looks fabulous! Freezing over here too! So yeah for soup!
Thanks Liz!! Stay warm!! 🙂
Oh wow, this looks like just what I need – it’s snowing outside and I’ve got a cold and a serious hankering for some good soup! This seriously could not look any more delicious, and I promise, I will never complain that there are too many Mexican soup recipes 🙂
Thank you so much and FELL BETTER!! 🙂
I’m pretty sure that soup and bourbon are the only things that get me through the winter.
Right on. 🙂
Although, I don’t actually drink bourbon, but bourbon brownies? YES.
Looks yummy. I love soup on a cold day.
Thanks So much!
I love everything about this soup Tieghan! Quick question tho, if making in the crockpot should the onions and garlic be cooked beforehand?
Hey Kathy! No need to pre cook the onions or garlic unless you want them to have a caramelized flavor. I always just throw them into the crockpot without cooking though. Hope you love this!
How could you not think soup in this freezing weather?! Although the temps are slightly higher here in Iowa these days. Not complaining! My tween daughter craves Mexican all the time; I’m definitely saving this one for her!
YEAH! Mexi cravings are the best! 🙂
Thanks Suzy!!
I love the culture-combo you’ve got going on here. This looks amazing, Tieghan!
Thank you so much, Tori!! 🙂
Hope you are having a great week!
Tieghan, let me tell you I so look forward to your Half Baked Harvest Email every morning… your food is always so darn creative – and fun! Love the tortellini in the tortilla soup… sounds perfect to me 🙂
AWE!! Thank you so much! 🙂 This makes my day. Seriously!!
I am in SERIOUS need of this soup. We literally WERE planning a tropical backpack adventure to Thailand.
And it just fell through. I needs me some healthy, warm, comfort food and with that cheese and carby goodness? I’m in. Pinned!
NO WAY!! I was about to say can I tag along and then I read the rest! 🙁 SO SORRY. That must have been a HUGE bummer. Soup to the rescue! 🙂
Winter basically *begs* for delicious soups like this! 🙂
agree! THANKS!
This looks so good no matter what you call it.
Now I want to know what the other two soups are??
Thanks Nancy!
Mmmh! The salty lime tortilla chips should make this very interesting… Thanks for also sharing how to make them because the store bought ones are so mehhh sometimes! Such a noteworthy recipe!
Mmmh! The tortilla chips should make this very interesting… Such a noteworthy recipe!
Thank you!