This Vegetarian Tortilla Soup recipe is made in the crockpot for a hassle-free dinner that the entire family can enjoy. It is easy to make, filling, so delicious, and perfect for any day of the week as we head into the fall season.
Colder weather calls for soups and chili recipes. If you are looking for a vegetarian soup recipe then this vegetarian tortilla soup recipe is perfect for you. Great for those busy days that you just need to toss everything in your slow cooker or crockpot, head out, and have dinner ready for the family when you get back home.
Making the crockpot tortilla soup is easy and it’s made with ingredients that you most likely already have sitting in your pantry. It’s as easy as tossing all the ingredients together in your crockpot turn it on and walk away. Enjoy this creamy tortilla soup as is or serve as a side dish any day of the week for lunch or dinner. We will be showing you how to make this tortilla soup on your stove top, slow cooker, and instant pot!
Why you should make this creamy tortilla soup
- Epicly good: We promise you that you will love the creamy and delicious tortilla soup. They are also vegetarian-friendly.
- Very Easy to make: All you need to do is prep your ingredients, toss them into the slow cooker, and let it do all the work for you. Don’t forget to add the cream cheese at the very end.
- Nutritous and filling: This vegetarian tortilla soup is packed with nutrition and will keeo you full and satisfied.
Ingredients you will need
Below is just a list of ingredients to check if you have and that you’ll need to make this tortilla soup. Full measurements will be listed further down below in the recipe card.
medium onion
olive oil- or any other neutral oil
red bell pepper, or green
jalapeno pepper
vegetable broth
tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
mild or medium salsa
Beans: black beans, red beans, or any other beans of choice
corn, fresh, canned, or frozen
dried red lentils
seasonings: smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper
light cream cheese, or dairy-free cream cheese
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, sliced or diced jalapeños, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or Greek yogurt
How to make this vegetarian tortilla soup in your crockpot
- Start by prepping the vegetables; dice the onion and peppers. Drain and rinse the beans.
Wash the lentils thoroughly under cold running water and set them aside. - Except for cream cheese, combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours, until vegetables and lentils are cooked through and the soup is thick.
- Once done, remove the lid and mix in the cream cheese. Pour the soup into a large serving bowl.
- Add your favorite toppings and serve warm!
How to make this tortilla soup in an instant pot
- Turn the Instant Pot on and add oil. Stir in onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, place all the ingredients into the pot, except for cream cheese.
- Cover the pot with the lid, setting the valve to the sealing position. Then, cook on high for 15 minutes. Once the pot beeps, allow the pot to release pressure naturally.
- Unlock the lid and add the cream cheese. Stir well and serve with your favorite toppings.
How to make this Vegetarian Tortilla soup on your stovetop
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a soup pot, over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in bell pepper and jalapeño, cook, stirring constantly until slightly golden brown.
- Immediately pour in the broth. Add in tomato sauce, salsa, beans, corn, and lentil.
- Stir in the spices, mix well until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes until lentils is
tender and the soup is thick according to your liking. - Once the soup is done, stir in cream cheese. Cook for additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.
- Pour the soup into bowls. Add sliced jalapeños, onion, and avocado.
- Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips and cheddar cheese on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- Do not add the cream cheese until the soup is almost done.
- Use any beans you like. We used black and red beans.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn.
- Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.
- Freeze this vegetarian tortilla soup for up to 3 months.
- Go with hot salsa if you prefer this soup to be more on the spicy side. Adding more cayenne pepper is another option.
- Instead of cream cheese you can add another cream like heavy cream or half and half. (a not so less healthy option)
- If you can’t handle too much heat/spice, seed the jalapenos before adding it in.
Frequently asked questions
Things you can eat tortilla soup with are tortilla chips, some Spanish rice, try this Jalapeno cornbread, cheese quesadilla, quacamole and chips, some salad, or Mexican street corn salad.
There are many ways you can thicken up any soup. For the tortilla soup, you can crumble up some more tortilla chips and add them in or mash up some more beans and add to the soup. Adding more of whatever veggies you are using also works like more beans or more corn. You can also thicken up the soup by adding in some flour (mixed with water first) or cornstarch. Other ways can be adding more cream/yogurt or more lentil.
Vegetarian tortilla soup will last in the fridge for about 4-5 days. Be sure to store in a tightly sealed container. You can freeze this soup for up to 4 months.
Other healthy soup recipes to try
- Creamy Chicken Mushroom Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Meatball Soup
- Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup
- Homemade Tomato Rice Soup
- Vegan Lentil Soup
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Crockpot (slow cooker) Vegetarian Creamy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 cup corn fresh, canned, or frozen
- 3/4 cup dried red lentils
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 red bell pepper or green peppers, diced
- 3/4 cup salsa use mild or spicy, or salsa verde
- 15 oz black beans one can, drained & rinsed
- 15 oz red beans one can, drained & rinsed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional, use more for a spicier soup
- 1/2 cup light cream cheese or any creamy cheese of choice, dairy-free works great too
- Salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
- crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado, sour cream, sliced or diced jalapeños, chopped red onion, shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Start by prepping the vegetables; dice the onion and peppers.
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Wash the lentils thoroughly under cold running water and set them aside.
For Slow-Cooker/crockpot directions:
- Except for cream cheese, combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW for 7-8 hours, until vegetables and lentils are cooked through and the soup is thick.
- Once done, remove the lid and mix in the cream cheese.
- Pour the soup into a large serving bowl. Add your favorite toppings and serve warm!
Video
Notes
- Serving size: One bowl is about 2 cups
- Don’t forget to add the cream cheese at the very end
- You can use any oil of choice for this tortilla soup
- Use your favorite beans. We used black and red beans.
- Use any creamy white cheese instead of heavy cream for a creamy thick soup.
- Corn: fresh, canned, or frozen corn can be used.
- The cayenne pepper is optional if kids will be eating this we suggest you skip it. Add more if you prefer it to be spicier.
- To keep this vegetarian friendly, use vegetable broth. Otherwise, you can use any broth.
- If you arent vegetarian and would like to add some meat to this, try chicken or beef. You can use shredded chicken, or add a full chicken breast and shred later after it is fully cooked.
Dee says
Delicious, I was able to make it on the stove top 1.5 hours low flame, stirring it every20 minutes. . Added extra vegetable broth, 2 additionalcans of beans, 4 slices of jalapeño pepper, due to family preference. Slices avocados, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of a lemon. Yummy
Kat says
Going to make this this weekend for a party. But I need to like triple the recipe for the party. What size crockpot did you use for the normal recipe?
Lexi says
Can you sub the salsa for canned tomatoes + taco seasoning? Any recommendations for the taco seasoning measurements? I rarely have salsa on hand. Thanks.
Rena Awada says
That should work yes
Terrie says
Can you make this and freeze it,for later use?
Rena Awada says
Yes. you sure can
Virginia says
I love this recipe! I accidentally added a cup of cream cheese instead of 1/2 cup. It was so creamy. I think I will keep doing the full cup.
Kelly says
I love this recipe! It was super easy and delicious! I added two chicken breast and cooked on low for 6ish hours. I will definitely make it again!
Maggie says
This was delicious!!
Julianna says
Hi! Excited to make this soup. Would sour cream work in place of the cream cheese?
Rena Awada says
I am not too sure about the use of sour cream
Tyler says
What type of salsa do you use? The ingredient list says salsa verde, but in the picture of ingredients I don’t see anything green and salsa verde is green.
Rena Awada says
Hi Tyler. Just salsa. Mild or spicy. My mind was thinking you could also use salsa verde. I adjusted it
Lauren says
Second time making this and I’m still obsessed! Such a great soup, nice and warming on this cool, rainy autumn day.
Rena Awada says
Nice. Glad you loved it
Kelly says
This was delicious! I made it for dinner tonight, super easy! I did add 2 chicken breast and cooked on low for 7 hours. I will be making this again!
Rena Awada says
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you loved it
Alicia says
Could I use precooked canned lentils and add them at the end?
Sam S says
What tomato sauce do you recommend? I only see it included on the second ingredient list.
Rena Awada says
I usually use Hunts. Any brand you like will work
Karen says
I made this today in the crockpot on high for 5 hours. I omitted the cream cheese as it didn’t need it and wanted to make it vegan. It was delicious!! It’s a keeper with my family. Thank you for the great recipe.
Rena Awada says
Awesome.
Lori Anne Haskell says
Made this today, stovetop. It turned out awesome. I did add some cornstarch at the end to thicken it more, but that’s just personal preference on consistency of soup.
Tara says
Heavy cream is mentioned in the comments at the end but not on the ingredient list. How much heavy cream should be added?
Rena Awada says
Hi. That’s if you would like to use heavy cream instead of cream cheese. You can use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. if watching calories go with 1/4 cup
Lori Anne Haskell says
Have you made this stovetop or in the instant pot? Wondering on times. I do not have a crock pot. This recipe looks amazing.
Rena Awada says
You can easily make it on your stovetop. Cook the onions with oil first. Then add in bell peppers. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in all the other ingredients including the cheese. Let it boil on the stove for 15-20 mins under medium heat covered. Remove cover and mix and leave it to simmer for another 10 minutes until you feel it’s thick enough.
Sarah says
Hi! Just wanted to ask how to adjust time if I cook it stovetop instead of a crockpot. Is it still the same time?
Sarah says
My bad, I missed that earlier in the article
Xena says
This recipe was simple and easy, and the absolutely delicious! Thank you
Rena says
Thank you Xena
Chris David says
Just wanted you to know that I’ve included your recipe in a collection of Irish foods.