Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This healthy crockpot chicken tortilla soup is a perfectly hearty, feel good soup. After a tiring, busy day it's just what you'll look forward to coming home to!

The recipe has been revisited and improved recently for increased flavor. I also personally prefer it with chicken thighs now for the better texture (and also more flavor).

The prep for this crockpot soup couldn't be easier, you simply layer and pour everything into a slow cooker without pre-cooking required. No chopping or searing meat first, or sautéing vegetables beforehand. It's one of those lazy, throw it together and turn on the power dinner meals.

I love to load it up with toppings but even without them you'd still have a completely satisfying soup. Tasty toppings additions include all those classics - tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, and some hot sauce if you want it spicy.

It's also a highly adaptable soup. For recipe variations you can trade out vegetables for others, increase spices, try other chilies, and even use other types of protein (such as cooked ground beef or seared pieces of stew meat).

Start with this base recipe the first time around then after that change it up to your hearts content or using up what you have on hand.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

In this bountiful salad you find it's rich in Tex-Mex flavor and has so much freshness in every bite. There's a beautiful variety of color, flavor and textures, with each ingredient enhancing the dish.

It's layered with nutritious Romaine lettuce, crispy tortilla chips, a zesty citrus marinated chicken, salsa coated beans and veggies, plus rich cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

The chicken is pan seared then the taco salad filling is cooked in that same pan. And it's convenient that you don't need a grill for this recipe and it can be made any day of year no matter the season.

If you happen to have any leftover filling you can use it in tacos, quesadillas or burritos the following day for lunch. There's just so much to love about this delicious Chicken Taco Salad!

Baja Bowl Inspired by Panera

These flavorful bowls, inspired by Panera version, include layer after layer of fresh flavor and a variety of textures. You get some nutty chewiness with the grains, tender softness and sweet flavor from the sweet potatoes, tart tang from the cilantro lime dressing, and a crisp bite from the fresh bell pepper and corn.

Collectively they create one beautifully colorful and deliciously satisfying grain bowl.

After you try this Mexican spin on grain bowls you can try building your own grain bowl from scratch. Wondering how to build a grain bowl? Simply include a base layer of grains, add fresh and/or roasted vegetables, a protein (such as legumes, meat, tofu, eggs) or cheese, fresh greens, and finish with a dressing or sauce of choice.

They make such a filling dinner and are an excellent option for make ahead meal prep for lunch too.

Possible Variations

To build these bowls include the grain and black beans, from there you can add your own substitutions:

• Protein: These can also be made with chicken thighs or chicken breasts in place of the sweet potatoes, I've included instructions in the note of the recipe.
• Cheese: You can add cheese such as feta, cheddar or queso fresco.
• Sauces: They are also delicious with a heaping spoonful of salsa, pico de gallo or a finishing drizzle of Mexican hot sauce.  If you want more creaminess try serving them with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
• Veggies: You can subsistute some of the vegetables here for others you may have on hand, that's the beauty of a grain bowl. Poblano pepper, zucchini, winter squash, or tomatoes are a great fit.
• Grains: These could also be made with farro or barley. Or you can use all brown rice or all quinoa rather than a blend.

Easy Black Bean Soup

This black bean soup is a must try soup recipe! Sure it may sound meh if you've never had it but trust me, if you flavor it right it can become a crave-worthy soup.

Here we add rich bacon, vibrant bell pepper or poblano peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, earthy seasonings including cumin and ancho chili powder and it takes basic bland black beans to an exciting new level.

And let's not forget to mention those highlighting finishes. Bright fresh lime juice, herby cilantro, creamy avocados and sour cream, and always cheese (cheddar, queso fresco or feta are great).

This may just become a new favorite black bean recipe for you!

Easy Vegetarian Chili

You'll love that this is a vegetable chili you can feel great about eating and feeding the family, and it doesn't taste too much different than a meat-heavy chili thanks to all those flavorful Mexican spices.

It comes together quickly, it's just a bit of chopping and has a fairly short simmer time compared to that of traditional chili. It's hearty and filling thanks to the beans and fiber rich vegetables and it's still a great base for piling on all the best chili toppings.

We love it with avocado, cheese, and sour cream atop but if you if you want to make this a vegan chili then opt for a vegan cheese and sour cream, or just omit them both altogether.

Homemade Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

This is my go-to recipe when I’m craving Chipotle but want to eat at home. Made with fluffy cilantro-lime rice, tender chicken, and all the best toppings, it’s nutritious and delicious recipe the whole family will agree on. 

Plus, it’s easy to customize and great to make ahead of time for meal prep. You’ll find this chicken burrito bowl recipe is the perfect option to feed a crowd, pack for lunch, or whip up for a quick weeknight meal. 

In fact, these burrito bowls are so tasty you may never go back to restaurant versions again! I’ll show you how to cook, assemble, and store them for easy meals whenever a craving hits. 

Many of you have had classic stuffed peppers and these are similar but with a Southwestern flavor and poblano peppers (aka pasilla peppers) are used instead of bell peppers. Plus these are a bit of a healthier option too.

They come together easily and no boiling is required beforehand. You'll just bake the peppers until they start to soften and while they bake you make the filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Then stuff the peppers and finish them off in the oven.

You really don't need much else to serve with them, though if you wanted something else you can't go wrong with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.

The key here is just to find the larger poblano peppers at the grocery store (those little ones wont fit much filling), and I like to find some that will sit flat on each side if possible.

Taco Bake Casserole Recipe

I'd say tacos are easily one of the worlds best foods so of course you could never have too many ways to prepare them. Especially when it's a fun twist, and absolute comfort food like this!

Hearty corn tortillas are layered with a perfectly seasoned beef filling that's also loaded up with lots of veggies, then it's topped with tons of cheese. And it's layered again and again.

It's like a Tex-Mex lasagna and it's undeniably delicious!

And you can top it off to your hearts content with all your favorite taco toppings. Or just leave it as is and you'll still have an perfectly tasty meal in one.

This recipe is sponsored by Swanson however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken tortilla soup will forever and always be one of my favorites. Who can resist those fresh, well spiced Mexican flavors in a cozy bowl of soup?

This quick version includes so much texture and flavor variations but it truly just comes together so perfectly. Layer upon layer of enticing taste.

And a critical part of what really makes this soup so good are those toppings (don't every skip the tortilla chips/strips). So pile the toppings high and serve it warm and steamy!

Colorful, texturally satisfying, easy to make, and a side dish you can always feel great about eating! This black bean and corn salad recipe never disappoints!

Of course it's such a refreshing dinner side dish but it also makes a delicious main dish at lunch, you can serve it over quinoa or rice to make it even heartier.

It pairs incredibly well with chicken and seafood and it's a great way eat lots of veggies at once - to help meet the recommend intake of veggies for the day.

It also makes a great chip dip if you want to serve it as a party snack. Or serve as a topping over tacos. Lots of options here.

This is just one of those must have recipes! So good in so many ways!