Favorite Fall Soups and Chilis

   With fall slowly approaching, who doesn’t love to sit on Pinterest and dream about cooking all the warm comfort food recipes they find?! Most of them are simple recipes that can be prepped in advance and even frozen for those busy weekdays. In our house, we love making crockpot chili and seasonal soups. Here are some of our favorites below! 

 

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup 

2 Tbsp butter, 1 small yellow onion, 1 jalapeno pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 15oz can of corn-drained, ⅓ cup cream cheese, 1 10oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies-undrained, 1 15oz can black beans-drained, 5 cups chicken broth, 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 Tsp cumin, 1 Tsp hot sauce, 1 oz packet of taco seasoning, 1 cup cheddar cheese 

Instructions: 

  1. Add all ingredients to crockpot except shredded cheese and cream cheese 2. Cook on low for 6 hours 
  2. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks 
  3. Turn off heat- add the chicken back to the crockpot and mix with cheese and cream cheese 

 

One Pot Lasagna Soup 

1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 cup chopped onion, 2 Tsp minced garlic, 1 pound mild Italian sausage, 32 oz chicken stock, 30 oz petit diced tomatoes-undrained, 6 oz can tomato paste, 1 Tsp ground oregano, ½ Tsp italian seasoning, 2 Tbsp free chopped basil, 8 uncooked lasagna noodles-broken into bite – size, ½ cup parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella 

Instructions: 

  1. Heat olive oil in large pot- add onion and garlic for 2-3 mins. Stir in the sausage, break it down into small pieces, and cook until browned. 
  2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, italian seasonings and chicken stock to a light boil. Add noodles and cook for 8-10 additional minutes. 
  3. Throw in mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese and stir. Garnish with more basil or ricotta cheese!

 

Crockpot Chili 

1.5 pounds ground beef, ¾ cup chopped yellow onion, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 30 oz dark red kidney beans-drained, 30 oz tomato sauce, 4 oz green chilies, 20 oz Rotel, ½ Tsp cumin, ½ Tsp ground mustard powder, 3 large garlic cloves, ½ Tsp black pepper, ½ Tsp cayenne pepper, 1 Tbsp chili powder, ½ Tsp dried basil leaves, ½ Tsp salt 

Instructions: 

  1. Add olive oil, chopped onions and beef into a frying pan. Brown meat and soften onion-put aside. 
  2. Mix chili powder, cumin, mustard powder, basil, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Add all ingredients to crockpot and stir. 
  3. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. Make sure to stir every 30 minutes. Garnish with cheese or green onions!

 

About the author:

Brittany has been a PCS Mentor  with Milhousing Network for over 2 years, and loves being able to help other military families! Her husband is active duty in the Army, and their family recently purchased their first home in Maryland. Their first duty station was in San Antonio, and she loves the city!