Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

We have a lot of chicken tortilla soup recipes on this blog!  It seems that everyone loves chicken tortilla soup recipes, and everyone loves the one their mama made the most!  :)  (I know I do, although in my case it's my dad that makes it!)

This one was contributed by a reader, Ida Zeiler, and she says that it's a little bit different than the others that we've posted because it tastes like the more autehntic chicken tortilla soups that they serve in her home state of Texas.  Sounds yummy!

One great thing about this recipe is that it is a crock pot recipe, so Ida says she likes to toss the ingredients in the crock pot before she heads to church and then let them simmer up.  I bet it smells great when she gets home!   

Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 garlic cloves, minced
4 14.5oz cans of stewed tomatoes [optional to chop those]
1 Tbsp cumon
2 4oz cans chopped green chilies
3 chicken breasts, cubed [uncooked]
5-6 cups chicken broth
3 vegetable or chicken bullion cubes
garlic powder, salt and pepper - to taste

1 - Put all your ingredients in crock pot
2- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours

**Serve with cheese, sour cream, fresh avocado, and tortilla chips [crushed] on the top!  Yum!

Serves 6-8 people [and still have some leftovers]

Meatball Soup

This recipe was contributed by Tia Hammer Stokes via Sarah McKenna.  Here's what Tia has to say about it:


This is extra nice to come inside to after you've been out in the snow. It was created by my mother-in-law, Pearl Stokes. Our house LOVES it! Even my picky toddlers love the noodles.

Meatball Soup

2 small package frozen meatballs (cut in half)
Note: if you like more or less meatballs, just adjust to taste.
1 jar Ragu PIZZA sauce
1 large can chicken broth. **If you have bullion handy instead of a can, I use about 8 cups of water and 8 cubes of bullion.
1/2 package of bow tie noodles (we use the whole package) **these noodles will soak up a good deal of your broth so add broth/bullion as you like.

Here comes the easy part. Put it all in a big pot and let it simmer until everything is tender. Done! Yes! Even the UNCOOKED pasta! It will cook in the soup itself and soak up all the yumminess. 

Note: I let my meatballs thaw so they are easier to cut. My mother in law serves this in bowls over fresh spinach (this keeps it from getting slimy), but no one but me in my house likes spinach so I don't. It's great on it's own!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This recipe was contributed by Sarah McKenna.  I pulled it from Rachel's blog, and she got it from her friend Natalie Dayton, who is well-known to be a fabulous cook.  It is not as easy as most of the recipes I post, but it is worth the tiny bit of extra effort.  YUM, YUM, YUM!!!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 box Long Grain and Wild Rice mix
2 cans chicken broth
4 cups milk (Regular or evaporated.  I use a mix.)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
(1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, optional)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Salt and pepper

-Cook the chicken.
-At the same time, cook the rice according to the directions on the box.
-In a large pot, melt butter. Add chopped carrots and celery and pepper to taste, and sauté for about 10 minutes until tender. Add flour, cornstarch and the poultry seasoning (optional), and whisk together quickly.
-Add chicken broth and milk, whisking quickly as you pour.   Cook over medium-low heat stirring often.
-When the chicken and rice are finished, cut chicken into bite-size pieces and add both to the soup.

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe was contributed by Tia Sherwood.

This recipe is great because it is quick, easy, and meat-free. Meat is kinda gross and definitely expensive, so I like meat-free :)

1 16 oz can of chili beans

1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn (I just use a can)

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbs ground cumin

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Comibine all except the last two in a pot, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 min, stirring occasionally.

Serve and top with sour cream and cheese.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

This recipe was posted by Rita Funk, a new regularly contributing author to this blog.  Welcome, Rita!

This is a VERY easy meal- and my favorite tortilla soup-ish recipe. I got it from my sister in law who said it was "freakin delish."  She was right.

Add to crockpot:
1 pound chicken (frozen)
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
1 jar salsa (16 oz)
1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup sour cream (stir in at the end)

*** Put the beans on the bottom and don't disturb them. Chicken on top and then just layer everything on that...
*** Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours
*** Stir in sour cream before serving.

I have added frozen tomatoes and green peppers from my garden and it was great- and any kind of beans will work- I just use whatever I have on hand.

Fast and Easy Chili

This recipe was contributed by Rachel Nielson.

I made this recipe in 15 minutes tonight. I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was!

-1 small onion (chopped)

-1 medium green pepper (chopped)

-1 clove garlic (minced)

-1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

Brown the meat with the onion, pepper, and garlic. Drain.

In a pot, mix the meat with the following:

-1 can kidney beans

-2 cans black beans

-1 can corn

-1 can stewed tomatoes

-1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

-1 tsp. chili pepper

-1/2 tsp. basil

Simmer for a while. The recipe says at least 30 minutes, but I did it for about 10 minutes tonight, and it was still delicious. Top with crackers and cheese. YUM.

Easy-Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe was contributed by Ann Brown via Sarah McKenna.  

Ann's told me that this is very much a "feel it out" recipe.  The ratios of chicken broth to cheese are easy to modify so that the consistency of the soup is to your liking.

Easy-Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken cubed

1 jar of black bean corn salsa

      (Any brand will do, but I usually try to go for the more "homemade looking brands" . . . not Pace.)

1 lb. Velveeta, cubed

2 (15oz) cans of chicken broth

1 (15oz) can corn (drained)  (or 1/2 bag frozen corn)

Stir broth, chicken, salsa and corn together. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add cubed Velveeta, stir and simmer until melted. Serve with chips and sour cream.

Taco Soup

This recipe was contributed by Marie Newman via Sarah McKenna.  Marie's comments are below the recipe.  Bon appetite!
  

Taco Soup

3/4 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16 oz) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 package taco seasoning

corn chips
grated Cheddar cheese
sour cream

In large soup pot, brown ground beef and onion.  Drain.  Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn, and taco seasoning.  Simmer 1/2 hour, uncovered.  Serve topped with chips, cheese, and sour cream.

So easy and yummy!  Sometimes I brown the beef and onion over the stove and then throw it in the crock pot for four hours if I have a minute in the middle of the day.  That way you don't have to watch the simmer and worry about the bottom scorching.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This recipe was contributed by Chelsea Fisher via Sarah McKenna.

I have never tried this soup, but I can't wait to make it! Mmmmm....cheesy soup..... Chelsea sent me a whole bunch of recipes, which I posted below, and most of them are soup. She says that this is the easiest of her recipes.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Makes enough for 10 bowls.



1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped 

1 large bunch broccoli 

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock 

1 1/4 cups milk (lower fat grams by using skim) 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can use less) 

Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (can use less)

Melt butter in a 4-6-quart soup pot. Saute onion until softened, about 
three minutes. Cut broccoli into flowerets and thinly slice tender 
upper portion of stems. Add to pot along with potatoes and chicken
stock. Cover and simmer until potatoes and broccoli are tender, about
20 minutes. 

Puree mixture in several batches in food processor or blender. Return 
puree to soup pot and stir in milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
to taste. Gently heat (a hard boil will cause the soup to break and 
the milk to turn to curds!)

To serve, ladle 8-ounce servings into broiler-safe dishes. Sprinkle
 each bowl with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese, put it on the 
broiler for a second and serve, all hot and bubbly. Your family is
 going to love it!



Nutritional Data: Per serving: 234 calories; 15g fat; 10g protein; 15g
carbohydrate; 3g dietary fiber; 21mg cholesterol; 1728mg sodium.
Exchanges: 1/2 grain (starch); 1 lean meat; 1 vegetable; 0 non-fat
milk; 2 1/2 fat.


Corn-Sausage Chowder

This recipe was contributed by Chelsea Fisher via Sarah McKenna.  Once again, I have not tried it, but it looks easy!

 

Corn-Sausage Chowder

Makes 6 servings

Start to Finish: 30 minutes 


Ingredients:
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
4 cups peeled potatoes cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 17-ounce can cream-style corn
1 17-ounce can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
Directions
1. In a Dutch oven or kettle, cook the pork sausage and onion until the sausage is brown and the onion is tender. Drain mixture on paper towels.
2. Return sausage mixture to Dutch oven. Stir in potatoes, water, salt, marjoram, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until potato is just tender.
3. Add the cream-style corn, whole-kernel corn, and the evaporated milk. Heat through. Makes 6 servings.


Corn-Sausage Chowder
Makes 6 servings
Start to Finish: 45 minutes
Ingredients
•    4 cups peeled potatoes cut in 1/2-inch cubes  (I used red potatoes and left the peels on)
•    2 cups water
•    1 teaspoon salt
•    1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (oregano or Italian seasoning), crushed
•    1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
•    1 pound bulk pork sausage
•    1 cup coarsely chopped onion
•    1 17-ounce can cream-style corn
•    1 17-ounce can whole-kernel corn, drained
•    1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

Directions:
1. In large pot, boil potatoes, water, salt, marjoram, and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pork sausage and onion until the sausage is brown and the onion is tender. Drain mixture on paper towels.
3. Add to potato mixture, and simmer for a total of 30 minutes (so about 15-20 more minutes), until potato is just tender.
4. Add cream-style corn and whole-kernel corn. Bring back to a boil.
5. Remove from heat, and add evaporated milk. Makes 6 servings.

Pumpkin Soup

This recipe was contributed by Chelsea Fisher via Sarah McKenna.

I have never tried it, but Chelsea says that it is yummy! Please comment if you make it and let us know what you think!

Pumpkin Soup

2 Tablespoons butter
1 Onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 large can pumpkin
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 ¼ cups evaporated milk
¼ cup brown sugar

Sautee onion, add spices. Blend. Add pumpkin and broth. Blend. Add milk and sugar.

Emily's Zucchini Soup

This recipe was contributed by Sarah (Jacobs) Huff via Sarah McKenna.

Emily's Zucchini Soup

Saute until tender:
2 medium zucchini, chopped (green and yellow crookneck are pretty together)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T parsley
1 t dried basil (use more if you've got fresh)
1/3 C butter

Stir in:
1/3 C flour
salt and pepper to taste, about 1 t salt and 1/4 t pepper

Stir in:
3 C chicken broth
1 t lemon juice

Let boil for 2 minutes, then add:
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 large can of evaporated milk
2 C of frozen corn

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving add:
1/4 C parmesan
2 C shredded cheddar

The BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup in the World!

This recipe was contributed by Sarah McKenna.

This soup is divine.  It has become a family staple, and I mean a serious staple.  Our dad makes himself a batch and then eats it every day for a week.  Know why else it is great?  It makes a gigantic batch, so unless you are feeding a huge group of people, you will have some left over to freeze. So here it is . . .

Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

3 cans chicken broth

1 can beef broth

2 cans tomato soup

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

1 chopped onion

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 c. fresh cilantro

1 T chili powder (you can add a bit more or less with the spices)

1 T cumin

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a large pot.  Bring to a boil; turn down heat and simmer for at least one hour.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips on top.

Enjoy!