Quick, Thrifty Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

I've been extremely busy over the last couple of months, so I squeeze in an entry when I can. Yesterday, I made a very simple, thrifty, and satisfying soup for dinner, so I thought I'd share the recipe; just look at this yummy goodness!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Shredded or diced cooked chicken (I had about 3/4 of a pound that I had frozen from a previous meal, but a rotisserie chicken works well for this, also.)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes or Ro-Tel tomatoes

1/2 cup salsa

1 can Charro beans (or any beans you have on-hand)

2 packets taco seasoning or 2 handfuls of your home made taco seasoning

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 

2 cups chicken broth

Sliced corn tortillas or crumbled tortilla chips

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings:

Diced avocado

Sour cream

Tomatoes

Pour all ingredients except chicken and sliced tortillas or tortilla chips in soup pot. Bring to a boil and let them simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in tortilla strips or tortilla chips. Top as desired.

Like any soup, this recipe can be modified as desired; omitting or adding ingredients as you wish, and if you have a family who isn't into chunks of tomato, you could just blend the cans to create a smooth base. This meal was under $10 and serves 6, for a meal that is less than $2 per serving! 

5 Meatless Monday Recipe Ideas

While I don't always do it on Mondays, I do try to incorporate at least one day of a meatless (chicken, beef, and pork) dinner into the week. Not only is it good for you, it's usually a great way to cut your grocery bill. My guys are big-time carnivores, though, so I had to think of meals that they would eat without really noticing the lack of meat. These 5 ideas are winners in my house! (Sorry for the lack of pictures for the first 2 ideas; I need to be better about taking pictures of my food!)

Thrifty Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup

I haven't posted a thrifty recipe in a while and as I was making up a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup today, I thought it would be a good post.

Thrifty Cold Monday Recipe: Ham and Bean Soup

I had posted in Meal Plan 1 a quick run-through of my bean soup recipe, but was asked by a couple of people for a more thorough recipe, so here it is. This is perfect for the cold weather, and you could easily make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the ham, and the bacon grease.

3 Day Meal Plan 2: Rotisserie Chicken

I have another delicious, low-cost 3-day meal plan, using one cooked rotisserie chicken. In this plan, I relied on helpers (mixes and prepared sauce) but you can very easily modify this to be made from scratch, and I usually do. It was just one of those weeks, and since we all have them, it's actually nice to show how an affordable home-cooked meal can still be put on the table, in very little time.