Slow cooker chickpea tortilla soup which can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer! A great way to stay out of the kitchen this summer.
It's finally warm and yet here I am...eating soup. But somehow this slow cooker chickpea tortilla soup doesn't feel like a very wintery soup to me...Mexican flavors always remind me of the summer for some reason!
I'm thinking ahead though...to the fall, when I'm going to be holding a newborn baby 24/7 and I remember it all too well. You *think* you're going to have time to throw something together for dinner, when in reality, it feels like the equivalent of climbing a mountain.
I can remember after Kai was born, the first time I bragged to Ben "I emptied the dishwasher today", like it was the biggest accomplishment in the world. It sure felt like it!
I'm half laughing and half trembling with fear at this memory. But armed with this slow cooker chickpea tortilla soup, dinner will hopefully not feel like too much of an effort come October.
The funniest part about that story is that I can't for the life of me remember what I did all day with a newborn. I do remember bouncing up and down on an exercise ball while wearing him in a wrap and watching Drop Dead Diva thinking 'please for the love of God, just nap!'
Maybe baby number 2 will be a napper. Or maybe he'll be interested in watching me prep dinner. Ha! This is what all parents tell themselves before having a second, right? 😉
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Well, even if he isn't interested in helping me prep this dinner, it couldn't be easier to prepare. It takes a maximum of 10 minutes to throw together the ingredients for this chickpea tortilla soup. You can make it right away or toss it in the fridge or freezer. When you're ready to cook: into the crock pot with some stock and off you go on your way.
It's not a real looker without all the glorious toppings. Toppings are what tortilla soup is all about, right?
This is actually an adaptation of one of my favorite tortilla soups on All Recipes. My mom put it in a community fundraiser cookbook and called it "Denise's Tortilla Soup" and I was so embarrassed because it was just from All Recipes.
My changes are to make it vegetarian this time round. I left out the black beans but you could add them in too, or swap them for the chickpeas. I also played with the spices to get my perfect soup.
I love loading my tortilla soup up with tortilla chips (duh), avocado, cheese, and occasionally greek yogurt. Feel free to add more salsa to your liking, spring onions, cilantro, you name it. Go nuts, I give you full permission!
My favorite thing about this recipe is just how quickly it comes together for the slow cooker. So so so fast, no sauteeing, barely any chopping, just dump it all in and walk away.
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this slow cooker chickpea tortilla soup. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips for your perfect slow cooker chickpea tortilla soup:
- for a 'meatified' version, add 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (14 or so oz) in place of the chickpeas
- this recipe was tested in my 5 quart and 2.5 quart crock pots, which cook on the hot side. If you know your slow cooker cooks slower, err on the longer side of cooking
- these gallon freezer bags are perfect for holding the ingredients (for freezing), but you could get away with a large glass storage container for fridge storage
- more (slow cooker) soup for you! Check out this Slow Cooker Potato Corn & Jalapeno Soup, or this Thai Slow Cooker Wild Rice Soup
- Looking for more soup recipes? Try this Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup, this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe or this Healthier Beef Barley Soup
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Slow Cooker Chickpea Tortilla Soup (Freezer to Crock Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 19 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can of corn drained
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Before Serving
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Toppings
- tortilla chips
- avocado
- greek yogurt
- cilantro leaves
Instructions
- To Cook Immediately:Combine salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt, chickpeas, corn, onion, garlic and chicken stock in a 5 quart slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or for low 6-8 hours.
- Stir in the lime juice before serving with the toppings listed above.
- To Assemble Ahead and Freeze:In a large freezer bag, combine salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt, chickpeas, corn, onion, and garlic. Squeeze out air and label the bag.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To cook, thaw completely for 24 hours in the fridge, then dump the bag into a 5 quart slow cooker with 4 cups of stock.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or for low 6-8 hours.
- Stir in the lime juice before serving with the toppings listed above.
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Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Adapted from All Recipes
Jackie says
Is the nutritional info per serving? If so, the sodium is super high.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jackie! Yes, the info is per serving, however these are strictly estimates, so if something looks off I'd advise you to check with an online calculator. My Fitness Pal is generally pretty good!
Laura says
So good! It’s now part of our meal rotation. Does the nutritional info include the toppings or just the soup?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Laura, it's always nice to find a new favorite to add in to your meal rotation - so glad to hear this is one of them! The nutritional info does not include the toppings, it is just for the soup. 🙂
Jenn says
Love it sooooo much!! This is a staple for me, I make it all the time but can you please put your recommended instant pot times into the recipe as well? I see a comment below for cook time of 12 mins and NR for 12 mins, but I’m not adding chicken so could you clarify please for the vegetarians? Thank you so much!!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jenn, great question! We haven't tested this exact recipe in the Instant Pot - but you could try 5 min with 10 min natural pressure release. I hope this helps!
Audrey Gagnon says
I didnt try it aldready but i want to know : can I use dry but pre-cooked chickpeas?
I want to try it with my instapot.
Thanks
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Audrey, for this recipe you will need canned chickpeas or pre-cooked chickpeas! We wouldn't recommend using dry chickpeas as it will increase the cooking time substantially. This recipe has only been tested with canned chickpeas! I hope this helps!
Salma says
This is an amazing soup!!!! I’ve made this in the crockpot and on the stovetop and love it either way. I started eating a plant based diet in January and this is a staple recipe in my kitchen now. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!!!!!
Denise says
Hi Salma! I'm so happy to hear you've enjoyed this soup! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review 🙂
kate says
Is the quantity of chickpeas correct? I am only finding 15 oz cans--wondering if it should be a larger one, the 29 oz? Making this tonight, can't wait!
Denise says
Hi Kate, sorry for my late reply! You could certainly double up on the chickpeas if you'd like! I hope you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Rebecca says
Where can I find the bag gripper thing?
Denise says
Hi Rebecca! It's from Amazon, here's my affiliate link (we love ours!)
Regina says
This is one of the best soups I have eaten in awhile. Quick to make, flavorful and lasts a long time. I used black tortilla chips, and threw in some taco cheese mix. Just wanted to drop a note and say I love the recipe. It gave me a taste of summer on a cold and rainy day.
Denise says
Wow, thank you so much, Regina! So happy you enjoyed the soup. Thanks so much for your review 😀
Jeanna says
I just made this soup tonight! I added 2 chicken breasts (to shred once cooked) and I used half chicken & half vegetable stocks since that's what was already open in my fridge (may as well use them up). Absolutely delicious!! I definitely will be making this again and shared it on fb.
Do you think this soup will freeze well once it’s cooked?
Denise says
So glad you enjoyed it, Jeanna! It freezes great after cooking!
Jeanna says
I froze the batch I made in November and have recently re-heated several bowls of this soup and I wanted to say it tasted so *much* better the 2nd time around. I added shredded chicken breast to it when I first made it. I made bunch of different soups this Autumn and some didn't stand the test of being frozen and re-heated, but this one did. I will be making another batch next week to keep in my freezer. It's going to be a staple. It was FULL of FLAVOUR. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hint: If you freeze the soup in individual bags (enough for 1 bowl) and lay them flat in the freezer, you can save a lot of valuable space in the freezer. I put them on a cookie sheet until they freeze and then stack them flat or upright.
Denise says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Jeanna! I find that almost all soups are better on the second day, but I'm glad to hear this one was better even after freezing 🙂
Jeanna says
I just did this in the Instant Pot. It was soo easy and quick! I put it for High pressure for 25 mins and NPR for 15 since I added frozen chicken breast to the soup. I made sure to put the stock in first, then the chicken, then the rest without stirring in case it might give a burn notice. Took the chicken breast out when it was done, shredded it, and stirred it back in. Delicious! I froze the leftovers again. I did not "skin" the chickpeas this time and wished I had.... next time.
Denise says
Glad you enjoyed! I think you can get away with a shorter cook time in the future! I have seen frozen chicken breast done in 12 minutes.
Jeanna says
Oh thanks, Denise. I didn't know that. I'm new to the IP and saw one recipe that said 25 mins for frozen and I always used that time. I will definitely try a shorter cook time next time. I also added about ½ cup of frozen kale pieces to my bowl of frozen leftovers when I microwaved it to reheat. That was a lovely addition. Thanks again for your help!
Debbie says
I am going to make this also and I am going to use the chicken stock even though I am working more towards vegan! Thank you for the video!
Denise says
I had meant to write vegetable stock, oops! You can use either one 🙂 Hope you enjoy Debbie!
Kirsten says
Just a quick note, you state you have made it vegetarian, but you haven't. The chicken stock is not vegetarian. That would need to be replaced with veggie stock!
Darn babies growing and taking away brain power! Thanks, I'm going to be trying this using veggie stock. Looks great!
Denise says
LOL! You are totally right! I meant to write vegetable stock. Darn baby. Thanks Kirsten, hope you enjoyed!