Delicious homemade tortilla soup recipe – can be made with chicken or vegetarian. Authentic flavor, and real food ingredients & can be made in the slow cooker! Serve with delicious jalapeno cheddar biscuits or artisan bread.
I made tortilla soup for my family during a season that I affectionately call the “you are going to learn to like beans if it’s the last thing I do” phase.
Mentioning “new soup” with “beans” in the same sentence raised eyebrows and red flags. The troops were on to me. My plan of attack had to be spot on!
This easy tortilla soup recipe is a combination of several recipes found during the reconnaissance mission. Lots of vegetables came from one, lots of beans (and no meat) from another, and lots of spice from another.
This soup is fantastic all by itself, can easily be tailored to what you have on hand, and can turn into a meal worthy to serve to company with just a few extras.
The Very Best Tortilla Soup
This tortilla soup has become a favorite for my family. I also love to serve this when we have company over on cold winter days. Here’s why I love this soup:
- Easy to make.
- Uses real food ingredients.
- Good source of protein.
- It is super healthy!
Ingredients for Tortilla Soup Recipe
This recipe is made with nutritious real food ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Finely chopped onions, garlic, carrots & celery.
- Olive oil and butter.
- Beans.* I use black beans and garbanzo beans.
- Corn.
- Diced tomatoes (try my homemade recipe)
- Salsa Verde (my homemade recipe)
- Bone broth (homemade if possible). You can also use chicken broth.
- Seasonings: taco seasoning, cumin, and chili powder.
- Optional toppings.
*A note about beans: Dry beans are much cheaper than canned so I keep my pantry stocked. Beans are a family favorite and I’ve mastered making them on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, and Instant Pot! Feel free to use homemade beans for this recipe.
Instructions for Tortilla Soup
Making tortilla soup is simple:
Step 1. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, and celery with olive oil and butter until onions become translucent.
Step 2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Note that a longer simmer will create a more flavorful soup.
FAQs for Tortilla Soup
Can you make chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker?
Yes! This tortilla soup adapts well to a slow cooker (this is the one I have). Simply combine all the ingredients, turn the heat to medium-low, and let it cook all day.
How do you thicken tortilla soup or make it creamy?
To thicken this tortilla soup, you can add sour cream or heavy cream. I have not personally done this, because I like the soup as is. To make this tortilla soup creamy you can add milk. Again, I have not tried this because I think this recipe is great as is, but if you do, please let me know in the comments.
Can you make this recipe into a chicken tortilla soup recipe?
Yes, you can certainly make this soup a chicken tortilla soup recipe. If you would like to add chicken, I recommend sauteeing chicken with vegetables at the beginning of the recipe. Once the chicken is cooked, continue to allow the soup to simmer. You can use diced boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. You can also use Instant Pot whole chicken or slow cooker shredded chicken. I keep some in my freezer for recipes like these. I recommend adding cooked chicken once the initial ingredients are sauteed, with the rest of the ingredients.
How can you make vegetarian tortilla soup?
This recipe is already vegetarian in nature, so simply follow the recipe as is and you’ll be good!
Side Suggestions for Tortilla Soup
This delicious soup can be served with a variety of sides or toppings. I like to serve this with:
- Plain or crushed tortilla chips (or you can add tortilla strips).
- Shredded cheese (cheddar and Monterey jack are good!).
- Sour cream
- Homemade guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Freshly baked artisan bread
- Jalapeno cheddar biscuits
- Crispy baked potato wedges
- Lime crema
More Tasty Soup Recipes
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Homemade Cream of Celery Soup
- Instant Pot White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Northern Beans and Ham Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chinese Noodle Soup (Kung Fu Panda Soup)
- Instant Pot Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup
Vegetarian Meal Plan
Sign up to get instant access to my Vegetarian Meal Plan, complete with recipes and shopping list!!Tortilla Soup: Easy & Simple Homemade Recipe
Delicious homemade tortilla soup recipe – can be made with chicken or vegetarian. Authentic flavor, and real food ingredients & can be made in the slow cooker! Serve with delicious jalapeno cheddar biscuits or artisan bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 quarts 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2–3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2– 2 cups cooked dry beans)
- 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked dry beans)
- 1 15oz can corn (or 1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh kernels or frozen)
- 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes, with liquid (any variety)
- 1 cup chili verde salsa (we like La Victoria or my homemade recipe)
- 2 quarts bone broth (homemade if possible)
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning *
- 1 tsp cumin *
- 1/2 tsp chili *
- optional toppings (see below)
Instructions
Notes
* seasoning measurements are minimums; add more if desired.
- This tortilla soup adapts well to a slow cooker. Simply combine all the ingredients and turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook all day.
- Make it company-worthy by serving crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and freshly chopped cilantro on the side. Allow guests to top their own soup. If time permits, freshly baked bread is always nice (jalapeno focaccia perhaps?).
Nutrition
- Calories: 320
Tiffany, I just wanted to let you know that I am on Weight Watchers and I am always looking for ways to adapt recipes to fit my needs. This was SUPER easy to adapt by simply omiting the oil and butter used for sauteing the veggies and adding everything to a slow cooker! For WW that made it a 1 point soup with the bone broth. With regular broth it would be 0 points. (That’s a good thing in WW!) SUPER easy and nutritious. PLUS I was able to toss in some fresh tomato that needed to be used and some cabbage that needed to be used up.
I made this tonight, and it was another big winner in our home! So delicious! I used homemade chicken broth. Our family is loving all your recipes that I have tried so far.
This is one of our favorite soups too Crystal. I’m glad your family enjoyed it!!
Tiffany–This recipe looks delicious, but as I was reading through I didn’t see tortillas in it. So, tortilla soup is not made with tortillas? Who knew? I was looking forward to trying to make your recipe for tortillas…to go into the soup! I’ll look for another reason to make them.
I get so much helpful information (and great recipes) from your site. Thanks so much for your time and efforts!
Sincerely–
Wendy
Thanks so much for the compliment Wendy! Growing up, tortilla soup was made with tortilla chips served on the side, which I believe is in the recipe, right? I’ve had it with actual tortillas IN the soup, but I didn’t like how they would get soggy. Then it felt like a dumpling soup. 🙂 Enjoy!
We always crumble tortilla chips into our tortilla soup…So maybe that’s another variation. This looks so tasty!! 🙂
Tiffany,
I made this last night and it was so tasty. I had it for lunch today, of course and it was soooo good! I didn’t have celery so I added diced zucchini towards the end of cooking and it worked perfectly! Oh and I used Hatch Valley Salsa from Trader Joes (recommended by Jessica at Good Cheap Eats) and loved it! I’ve never bought (used) salsa verde before. I’m sold. Thanks for a winner!
That’s awesome news Debbie – so glad you enjoyed it!!
Quick and easy is always a winner. I have included your recipe in my March Real Food Meal Plan. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for including it in your meal plan Melissa!!
Hello Tiffany,
Just found your website and was reading about your beans. I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but did you know: if you wait and add salt to white beans at the end instead of the beginning of cooking, they will get tender much more easily. Just thought……
Just had this soup tonight, along with cheese quesadillas – Yum! Love the use of chili verde salsa, what a simple way to get lots of flavor! I adjusted a few of the amounts per personal preference, and blended a few scoops of it to give the base more “body”. If I had been thinking ahead, I probably would have just pureed some of the beans and maybe some of the tomatoes ahead of time. It was delicious topped with some green onions, sour cream, and diced avocado! I love soup recipes because they are so easy to customize and adapt for what you have on hand. Thanks for a great one 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it Z! This is one of my favorite too, and I’ve been known to double the veggies from time to time. 😉 It’s also great for using up the last bit of any salsa… or pico de gallo… or anything remotely Tex-Mex related, lol. Love the idea of the toppings too!!
Can I substitute chicken broth for the bone broth? Will it taste the same?
Hi Kelley! In recipes, the terms bone broth and chicken broth are often used interchangeably, so yes! You can use bone broth and it’ll taste just as delicious. 🙂
Thanks Vanessa!
I am already subscribed to the newsletter and like the crumbs Facebook page!I also have already liked “Plan to Eat” on FB.
Great Elizabeth! Don’t forget to enter this into the Rafflecopter widget to get credit towards the giveaway!
Hi Tiffany, this looks so tasty and healthy, I would love to try it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us and I hope very much to see you over at Seasonal Celebration today! Rebecca @Natural Mothers Network x
Kristy,
I hadn’t considered making my own salsa verde! Looking forward to spring farmers markets already!!
~Tiffany
Jean,
I haven’t tried Progresso’s soup, but I’d say mine is better too. 🙂 But it could be that I’m partial. 😉 Hummus – SO GOOD! An excellent way to eat beans (and pita chips! 😉 ). ~Tiffany
Hi Tiffany! Really enjoying your site! We are newer to the real food journey as well and it’s nice to read from the perspective of someone that is still learning too. :). I’m getting ready to toss all the ingredients for this soup into the crockpot for dinner tonight and had a question. We have all but the chili verde salsa…any suggestions on a substitution?
Kristin,
Thank you for being so kind! Diced green chilies would work well as a substitute, either two of the smaller cans or one larger (7oz I think?). You can omit the verde salsa and/or the chilies, but we found that the version WITH was just that much better. Another option is to add the chilies/salsa later in the day, like 30 minutes before dinner. The soup should still be just as yummy! ~Tiffany
Great job. This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it. I would love for you to come over to my blog hop and share this and other posts there!
Thank you for the invite! 🙂