Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

For more great recipe inspirations from Hunt’s tomatoes, visit www.hunt’s.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hunt’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

Do you ever feel like you have no time to cook? Yep… me, too!! Let me give you a run-down of our afternoon:
3:30 – homework
4:00- dinner (early tonight)
4:30- Practice for Ethan
6:00 – Game for Jack
8:00 – bath/bedtime

What does that mean for me? It means that I need to find an easy meal. Thanks to Hunt’s for partnering with me today for this sponsored recipe post – so I can share a simple, favorite meal with you.

I want to spend 30 minutes or less on the meal because we will have a busy night. For nights like this, I like to either make a casserole or a crock-pot meal.

Tonight I went with a crock-pot meal for cheesy chicken enchilada soup. It is so good! It has cheese, tomatoes, beans, chicken, and corn. It takes no time at all to put together and everyone likes it.

Remember that just because something is EASY doesn’t mean it’s not fantastic. I like to have the best of both worlds. I just try to use ingredients that I trust and throw some veggies in there, too.

I use Hunt’s tomatoes because they are steam peeled using only water (many other brands use chemicals to peel them). When they are peeled by water, it means that no chemical by-products go back into the earth. It might not be the easiest way, but I agree with Hunt’s that it seems like the right way.

Here’s the recipe – I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter OR margarine

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

12 oz. cheese – cubed

14 oz. can Hunt’s diced tomatoes – They are 100% natural and they let their tomatoes ripen on the vine, as compared to many other companies that have the ripening happen after being picked.

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

2 cans black beans

1 bag sweet corn, cooked

salt, and pepper – to taste

(optional) flour tortillas – as needed, about 4 – 6 (to make strips) or tortilla chips.

Directions:

• Melt butter in a pan, over medium-low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.PRO TIP–>>We sometimes by an already cooked rotisserie chicken.PRO TIP–>>If you put cut up chicken into a bowl and mix it with a beater, it shreds it for you in seconds!)
• Add roux to crockpot, and stir in chicken broth & milk.PRO TIP–>> Use a whisk for this part.
• Stir in Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes, beans, corn, chicken, spices, and cheese cubes; stir occasionally.
• Cook on low OR high for 4 hours (mixing occasionally). It is really ready once the cheese melts, but I like to cook it longer.PRO TIP–>> If you want it to be thicker, increase the amount of butter + flour mixture that you add. You can add more towards the end.

Optional: If you wish to make tortilla strips… cut tortillas into strips and deep-fry in 350-degree oil until golden, then drain on cooling racks. You can also add green chilies, but I like it to be more mild for our kids. I usually just serve it with tortilla chips.

I promise you… this soup is SO good and very filling! Perfect for those fall nights when you have a lot to do (well- what can I say, we even have it when we are staying home… a quick, filling comfort soup that everyone loves.)

Enjoy!