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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!
Picky husband approved!! Tried a vegetarian version of this recipe today and also added some spinach and corn. Turned out wonderful and perfect for snowy, freezing Illinois weather. Thank you!
Hey Shru,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Perfect soup for a snowy day in Maine today! So delish and hearty!
Hi Megan,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
Well this will be going into the regular rotation! It was delicious. My 5 year old daughter loved it and had two bowls.
Hey Jena,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Any advice for subbing tenders to thighs?
Hey Ryan,
No adjustments needed. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Looks delicious! I have rotisserie chicken and wondering if that can be used in this recipe?
Hey Rebecca,
Totally, just add towards the end to warm through. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was SO good! My entire family (including picky toddlers) devoured it!!!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Catie! xTieghan
This was so good! The only change I would make for next time is add more tortellini, because you can never have too much of that! The tortilla strips were a fun addition to the soup also! Looking forward to leftovers this week! 🙂
I am so happy this turned out so amazing for you, Andrea! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
How can I make this in an Instant Pot, looks DELISH!! Love your site!!
Hi Kelli! I have never tested this in the instant pot, so I really can’t say for sure. I would recommend cooking on high pressure for 8 minutes, then add the tortellini just before serving at the end of cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Would you need to decrease the liquid if you make the pasta separate? My husband has celiac but my kids are obsessed with tortellini.
Hi! I don’t think you need to decrease the liquid. Should be just fine as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
I am making this soup for our end of fiscal year “soup off”. I have made it twice before and it is fabulous. Can’t wait to win the competition!
Aw how fun!! I hope its a hit!! That would be so cool! Let me know how it goes, thanks Ed!
This soup is amazing! My wife and I can’t believe how tasty it is!
THANKS! So happy you loved it!
Just a quick question for ya: When I “pin” a picture from your site and click on it later to get the recipe, am I supposed to be directed to the page with the recipe on it or just your site in general? Lately I’ve been pinning a lot of recipes (this one included) and I noticed that they just go to the home page… Not that it will deter me from tracking it down to make it!! Just thought I’d ask/ let you know if there is a problem.
Hey Rachel,
They should go right to that exact recipe. I will look into the issue. Thanks for letting em know and for all the kind words!
This is so good. Thank you. Just indulging in a bowl. Love it. A Saturday night favorited.
I made this soup last week and my husband said it was the best he has ever had and i make A LOT of soups!! I did make my own enchilada sauce from Little Spice Jar and I think that always makes a difference. I love your blog as it is always so interesting and full of flavor! Thank you!!
I also made this for dinner last night. I told my family we were going on a culinary adventure this week, since Monday night was Jamaica. 🙂 This was unbelievable!!! I made my own red sauce which I think gave it more depth of flavor. Please keep your greatness coming! I love it. 🙂
THANK YOU! And yes, I bet your red sauce made this recipe so much better! 🙂
I made this last night and it was amazing [as all your recipes are!] I can’t wait until lunch so I can have it again!
THANK YOU! So happy you loved this!