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So, I may be constantly freezing my butt off, but at least with winter, there is soup!

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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….

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

YUM.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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!!

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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 | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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.

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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.
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Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Tortellini Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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  2. Girl, oh my god. This is basically everything great in a soup. Let’s recap: we’ve got enchilada sauce (yummm) + beans and tons of cheese + avocado and lime tortilla strips on top?! Ahhhh. And let’s not forget the tortellini. This is my kind of comfort food 🙂

    Reply

  3. This soup looks great Tieghan!! Tortilla soup is one of my favorites, and I love that you added tortellini to it!

    Reply

  6. This looks great, our family loves Mexican flavors. I can’t wait for you to post the rest of your Mexican soups!

    Reply

  11. Okay, so enchilada sauce as a quick base for a soup…sounds great…and tortellini adds a lot of bulk (fill you up) goodness…I’m in and pinning!

    Reply

  12. I know this sounds crazy, but I almost cried when I saw this! You see, I LOVE Mexican food and I’m about to be married to someone who doesn’t. He likes everything else, which is great, but its almost impossible for me to cook Mexican for dinner. But with this gorgeous soup, I get to have Mexican and he gets enough tortellini to call it Italian 🙂

    This has made my DAY!

    Reply

    1. OH NO! That’s just craziness, not liking Mexican food?!? So glad this will work for the both of you! 🙂

      Thanks Rachel!

      Reply

  13. This soup is inspired! I can’t wait to try it. T, Can you tell us about the pottery bowls you are using and where they’d be available? They are a perfect match for this inviting soup.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Linda!! 🙂
      I got that bowl from Crate and Barrel last year. I can’t find it on the site anymore, but maybe it’s in the store?

      Reply

  14. Can’t wait to try this yummy soup! You are so talented and so very blessed to be doing something you love! I look forward to your daily emails … it makes my mornings so special! Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Awe, wow! Thank you so much for all your kind words!! 🙂
      Hope you love this soup and everything else you try!

      Reply

  15. I love how hearty this dish- and LOVE the homemade tortilla strips. It’s so easy to make, I don’t know why more people don’t make it themselves. The store bought stuff is so blah.

    Reply