We haven’t had one since 2019, so we thought it was time to host another Village Home Stores Soup and Chili Cookoff to help us all shift into soup mode for these upcoming cozy months in the Midwest. The lunch hour did not disappoint and as turns out, a few years off only makes some competitive personalities even more hungry for the win! What’s at stake? Well bragging rights and street cred of course! Plus, the winner gets their name added among the past winners on a plaque in the Village breakroom we call the “Golden Ladle”. So who won the 2022 Village Home Stores Soup cookoff? Drumroll please…
Our 2022 Winner is Lexy’s CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup!
Lexy’s CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 10oz can of Rotel Original
- 2 10oz cans of red enchilada sauce
- 1 14.5oz can of black beans – drained and rinsed
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 package of frozen corn
- 1 box of chicken broth
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup of minute rice - uncooked
Optional: Serve topped with crumbled tortilla chips, fresh avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream.
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients (EXCEPT FOR THE RICE) in the crock pot, stir, cover with lid, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When the 6 to 8 hours are up, pull the chicken out and shred. Place chicken back in crock pot along with your ¼ cup of uncooked minute rice. Stir, place lid on and cook for another 30 minutes.
And now for the other delicious entries into the 2022 Soup and Chili Cookoff! Here are 6 more recipes for you to try in your own Village Home Stores kitchen.
Keri’s CrockPot Zuppa Toscana
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground spicy Italian sausage
- 8 slices bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
Optional: top with red pepper flakes or bacon bits
DIRECTIONS:
Heat large skillet over medium high heat and brown sausage. Drain. Fry bacon and set aside to a plate. Add onion and minced garlic and cook slightly. Add sausage, onion and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker. Add peeled potatoes, cover with chicken stock to completely cover potatoes and sausage. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft) Before serving, whisk together heavy cream and flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly. Taste, season according to your tastes, top with bacon, and serve.
Elizabeth’s Creamy Dill Pickle Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cup chopped carrots and 1 Cup chopped celery
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 med. onion chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 4-6 Cups Veg. or Chicken Broth
- 1 bag of cubed, frozen potatoes
- 1 cup dill pickles rough-chopped and ½ cup of pickle brine from jar
- 1 bunch fresh dill rough-chopped, 2 bay leaves, pinch of fresh thyme
- 1 ½ Cups freshly grated Havarti cheese
- ½ -1 Cup heavy cream or sour cream.
Optional: Serve with drizzle of Siracha, sour cream, add red pepper flakes and fresh dill for garnish.
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot at medium heat, drizzle the pot with of olive oil and sauté the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic until onions are translucent. Salt + pepper to taste then add butter, flour, and stir to coat everything in the pan. Add broth and bring the pot to a boil. Add frozen potatoes, chopped pickles, brine, dill, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir and allow potatoes to boil 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add Havarti cheese and cream, then stir and cover. Cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Serve with drizzle of Siracha and/or heavy cream.
Rachele’s Spinach Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 Tb Margarine
- 1 Cup Chopped Onion
- 2 cups plain powdered coffee creamer
- 1 48 oz Chicken Broth
- 2 medium potatoes chopped small
- 2 medium carrots chopped small
- ¼ cup raw rice
- 1 pkg chopped frozen spinach
- 1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
Cook onion and margarine until soft, do not brown. Bring broth to near boil in large pot. Slowly stir in powdered creamer. Add onion and margarine, potatoes, rice, salt to pot. Simmer 15 mins. Add spinach, simmer for 15 minutes.
Natasha’s Loaded Baked Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cubed
- 8 sliced of cooked bacon
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. garlic salt, ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
Optional: Garnish with fresh chives.
DIRECTIONS:
Scrub potatoes and pierce with a fork multiple times. Microwave 12-15 minutes, or until tender. Carefully half potatoes and let cool. Once cooled, remove the skins, and cut into cubes. Prepare bacon slices and set aside to cool. Reserve some of the bacon fat and set aside. In a large pot, melt butter over med-low heat. Add bacon fat, minced garlic and onion and cook until tender. Whisk in flour to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, half and half and slowly add chicken stock. Bring pot to a light simmer for about 5-7 minutes until it has thickened a bit. Stir in cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Remove from heat and add potatoes to the pot.
Emma’s Po-Chili
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb. of Hamburger
- ½ White Onion
- 2 Jalapenos, chopped
- Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
- 3 Potatoes, peeled, cubed
- 1/2 bottle of Tomato Juice
- Mild Chili Packet
- 3 Cans of Mild Chili Beans
- 1 Can hot chili Beans
- Garlic salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Brown the meat and add the onion and garlic and cook through. Add to crockpot and mix in spices. Add clopped potatoes, jalapenos, tomato juice, and beans. Add garlic salt to taste. Slow cook in crockpot until potatoes are cooked through.
Monica’s CrockPot Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 32 ounces Chicken broth
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 8 ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
- 4.5 ounce bacon bits
- 32 ounce package frozen cubed
- 8oz Cream cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a crock pot, mix chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Add potatoes, half cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. With and hour left, cut cream cheese into small pieces and add to soup. Stir occasionally in the last hour to chop of the cream cheese. 10 minutes before serving, add the rest of the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Hungry for More Soup and Chili Recipes?
Hungry yet? If you are still craving more staff-approved recipes head here to our Pinterest page. We share past soup cookoff entries and even have pinned versions of this year’s entries for you to save. Ready to “cook up” a deal on a new cooktop or entire kitchen with Village? Just reach out! You can message us right here through our website or call us at (309) 944-1344.