It looks really good! Nicely done. Can I ask a totally evasive question? YOu need not answer, but how much do you spend on groceries for one week? I just know if I made all these big dinners, I'd totally blow my budget of $100/week for my family of 5.

Hi Amie,
I should keep better track of what we spend on groceries. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, and that is a huge savings for our family. The last huge trip we did was $271 two Saturdays ago, and I haven't gone shopping since. I was actually really surprised that the bill came to that, but Adam did the shopping and bought some pre-seasoned meat and fish that I wouldn't normally.

Since we're GF, we don't buy many pre-packaged snacks, which cuts costs.

This tortilla soup was "free" since I had the chicken, the veggies and the broth already in the freezer. I chose to not go buy the tortilla chips and we had sourcream and cheese already.

I am venturing to whole foods today for some cake mix and for a hunk o' meat and am using a gift card we received for V-Day.

this has gotten long... anyhow, I am a notoriously "cheap" person. If I can buy a generic or make it myself, I will. But I'm also interested in trying some new foods out this year with my experiment and will probably buy some extra food items I wouldn't normally to satisfy my curiosity and sense of adventure.

AND! with this cooking thing, we aren't eating out much at all. We used to spend too much $$ on the weekends eating out.

xoxox
steph

Once again, that looks like a great recipe.

I made the apple oatmeal and it was very good.

I love tortilla soup too! Thanks for posting this :-)

I'll admit that the fish chowder made me a little queasy--but this looks delish! We love tortilla soup around here!

I am going to make the tortilla soup today! It was a tough decision since the fish chowder looks delicious! I love your blog and your wit!

I made this today and it was YUMMY! I used a frozen chub of creamed corn and a frozen seasoning blend of vegetables, fajita seasoning instead of salt and little more of the peppers. It was delicious and sooo easy! Thanks so much!

jennwa, I'm glad you liked the oatmeal! I'm going to do it for breakfast tomorrow, too!

CS, you're welcome!

jennifer, no prob. fish can be a deal-breaker for a lot of people.

Ingrid, thank you!

michelle, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Your additions sound wonderful.
xox
steph

I just got back from Mexico and am craving Tortilla soup. I have to tell you though, if you are able to get it (& eat it) authentic Monchego cheese MAKES the soup (SOME people have been known to smuggle it home with them from MX). I also add chunked up avocado. **drools**

I LOVE tortilla soup. I need to put avocado (sliced) as a topping or it's not complete for me. Thanks for this recipe.

I made it today and it was great. Thanks!

Can I use regular frozen corn instead of roasted? I've never seen it in the store before.

Hi Amanda, absolutely. The corn I used was frozen, but was labeled frozen roasted corn. I find it at Trader Joe's---and it tastes a bit smokier than normal frozen corn. Sweet white corn would be delicious, too.
xoxo
steph

Seven months later...I was wondering if you happen to know around how much random veggies you tossed into this. I have A LOT of veg in my fridge, but plan to use at least some for (more) black bean soup - which I make a couple of times a month. Thanks!

Hi Lyssa!

I'm pretty sure I only used about a cup of fresh veggies, chopped pretty small.
I've changed the recipe to reflect that, thanks so much for alerting me to that mistake.
xox
steph

I made this a few nights ago and it was AWESOME! (yes, DJ Lance is my inner voice). I even ate the leftovers which surprised my hubby (I rarely eat left overs cause I'm strange like that).

I put a few tortilla chips at the bottom of teh bowl, poured the soup on top of it, and then sprinkled a little parm cheese on top--absolutely delicious! Even my son, who rarely eats what I cook for dinner, ate a cup!

So yummy, so yummy, there's a party in my tummy! ;)

PS I forgot to mention that I used like 1 tsp of McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning instead of the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. I also used 1/2 tsp of paprika instead of cayenne pepper.

I've found that a rotisserie chicken from costco at 4.99 works well for two days worth of meat. Last week I made an enchilada bake with half of lst weeks chicken. I bought one yesterday for dinner and toonight I making the tortilla soup with the second half. Thank you for the recipe I'm excited cause I mostly sho at Trader JOes also and it's nice to not have a recipe full of boxed this and canned that!!!
Thanks

I assemble all in ingredients in m crock in a flash! Then I went out for beers and came home to a delicious smelling house. I sampled the soup after getting my buzz that night on and it was go-oood! It's fed me for 3 meals now, and I eat a lot. Very filling and pretty healthy, too.

Although I am not a vegetarian, I try to use "faux meat" as much as possible. I did use some faux chicken strips in this soup but I think it would have been much tastier with rotisserie chicken.

I made this today for a Mexican potluck, and everyone loved it! It was fantastic, and super easy. I used diced red pepper and carrots for the veggies. Thanks for a winning recipe!

I am planning on making this tonight for dinner- has anyone ever used fresh zuchinni in it? I have a huge zuchinni left over from a trip to a farmers market last weeekend that I need to use. I am just curious if anyone has tried it and whether or not they would reccomend it. Thanks!

Hi SwimMom, Fresh zuchinni sounds wonderful---I think it will do just fine. If you're worried about it falling apart too much, you can put in some at the beginning for flavor, and add a bit more an hour before serving for texture.
xoxo
steph

mine is in the crock pot right now. cant wait to taste it! I put in a whole chicken thought about 3.5 lbs! its smelling delicious already. 7 hours to go lol

I totally and completely loved this one, however, I did add more spices to it after it was done cooking!

Hi - I actually have a question.

Can I dump raw chicken in this recipe before I leave for work? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the taco soup recipe because I can do this. Do you know if I have to have precooked chicken for this one too? I am gone 9-10 hours, so it would be cooking for that long.

Thanks!

Hi Taylor,

you can certainly use raw chicken, it will cook nicely for you if you're gone that long. It may clump together and cook in one big ball, though, so before serving, shred with a fork or take it out and cut into pieces, then return to the pot.

--steph

Sounds yummy! I just put my ingredients in the slow cooker and can't wait! Made ours vegetarian (although we're not I just try and make a few meals a week without meat). Veggie broth, potatoes, carrots and zucchini... didn't have any corn.

Amie, I cook for 4 adults and 3 kids and understand the budget. Recipes like this are great for saving money. Most of the ingredients you usually have on hand and it's really easy to substitute if you're missing one. When trying to stretch it out another day or so before going to the store I look at what I have in the pantry or veggies I need to use up and google a recipe using those ingredients.

Tortilla soup is one of my favorites, can't wait to try it!

I made this a few days ago, and today my son announced (just after I finished up the last of the leftovers) that he wanted that soup for supper. I guess he will have to wait :)
On a cooking note: this didn't look like the tortilla soup I am used to - a little "runnier" - so I blended it up with a handheld blender, and it made a huge difference! Creamy, yummy, healthy soup!
Thanks for an awesome recipe!

I made the Chicken Tortilla Soup & my family loved it!! I can't wait to try the Taco Soup!!

I've been eye-balling this recipe for a few months now and finally made it today.

WOW.

I had a whole bunch of fresh jalepenos from my friend's garden, so I nixed the pepper and pepper flakes and added a couple of chopped up jalepenos. It really gave it some heat but it has amazing flavor and is great topped with sour cream and cheese. I could eat this every day!

I made this last night and it was SO yummy! Looking forward to left overs tonight! The only thing I'll change next time is add some more red pepper flakes to it. We like things a little spicier. :)

Oh my, we tried this for the first time tonight, and it was a big hit. It wasn't too spicy, not even for the kids! This is definitely going into the rotation. Thanks again, Stephanie!

It would really be nice if there was a "print recipe" choice on your site. I find that I waste printer ink and end up cutting and pasting the recipe. Just a suggestion and thanks for all the great recipes.

I am making this for the 3 time today! It is perfect everyone says it is better than any restaurant. Good recipes on here thank you.

We made this for the first time about a year ago, and we have made a quadruple batch for every single party or get together we've had since then. Always a huge hit. We had bell peppers every time, and zucchini chopped small quite often as well. Great swirl of color as well!

Does the chicken have to be already cooked? I would think 8 hours in the crockpot would cook it, right?

shaina

Hi Shaina,
You are absolutely correct. I've made tortilla soup a number of times now, and each time it's slightly different. ;-)
the chicken will cook well for you-- I'd just shred it before serving.
enjoy!

This is DELICIOUS. I had uncooked chicken thighs on hand, so that's what I used. My crock pot cooks really hot, so 6 hours on low was perfect. My hubby was so happy I finally made this, we all had seconds. Thank you for the recipe!