Pressure Cooker Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

This post is part of an original TIDBITS recipe, first seen HERE on tidbits-cami.com.

Update 1/2018: Check out the new video below on how to turn this soup into my favorite freezer meal of all time.  More details here.

From the moment September shows up on my calendar, my food brain makes a switch to all things pumpkin, squash, and apple.  I’m not one that mourns the passing of summer.  I always love the idea of summer, but then there is the HEAAAAT, and oh yeah, sunscreen makes me break out, and, oh I forgot about how much I loathe yard work and bugs and fair rides that make me nauseous…  It’s kind of like the time I told my husband (then boyfriend) how much I loved the idea of camping…

So to break into fall right, I’m showing you how to make one of my family’s favorite recipes that I’ve adapted to the pressure cooker.  It’s jam packed with all the best end of summer produce and the toppings (love my toppings!) are diverse and customizable.  This recipe originally came from an AMAZING food blogger named Mel, over at melskitchencafe.com.  Mel puts out some delicious food and this enchilada soup, that is so not the same ol’ enchilada soup, is one of my favorites from her site.

Quite honestly, you won’t be saving much cooking time from the original recipe, but the fact that I could throw it all in, push a button and walk away (and also completely forget about it because I was getting a princess makeover from my daughter), makes this amazing recipe move to the top of the charts!

Since I love to side track, let’s talk about veggies and kids for a second.  While I’m not into hiding my kids veggies in their food, I’m 100% into pretending I don’t understand or hear the question, “So what exactly is in this” until after they’ve tried their food and decided they like it.  Which is how this soup experience went down.  Butternut squash, onions, chilies, red bell peppers, garlic, and potatoes get blended into the base until it’s so perfectly silky and rich (with absolutely no cream!).  All my kids see are white beans and juicy chunks of chicken.  Top it with cheese and crushed chips and they’ll eat three bowls of it!  Of course, my bowl tops out at ten veggies after I add pico de gallo, avocado, corn, sour cream, cheese, hot sauce and crushed whole grain tortilla chips!  Heaven in a bowl right there!

And if you’ve ever debated whether an immersion blender was worth owning, this recipe, that you will likely make again and again, will be the perfect time to take that plunge.  I’ve had this blender for years, and I love it so, so much.  You can totally blend the soup in batches in a blender (kind of a pain), but for real, an immersion blender is where it’s at!

And since enchilada soup wouldn’t be the same without an insane amount of toppings, lets take a moment to break it down a little.  Our base layer is veggie packed and contains my favorite white cannellini beans, and juicy chunks of chicken.

Then to make it magical, we first add cheese (so it can melt over top the hot soup), then juicy gems of barely cooked fresh corn, fresh pico de gallo, creamy cool avocado, and finally a handful of crushed salty goodness (i.e. whole grain tortilla chips).

Then if you’re like my crew, you take it a bit too far by adding a huge dollop of sour cream and half a bottle of Cholula!  Yum!

Enjoy this break into fall soup and get ready for cool nights, colorful mountains, and the smell of cinnamon everywhere you go!

*Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Pressure Cooker Creamy Enchilada Soup

Easy, delicious, veggie packed soup to warm you up on the cool evenings ahead.

• Author: tidbits-marci.com
• Yield: 8 Servings
• Category: Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 medium size boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (3.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 8 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (about 24 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or homemade recipe to follow)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• Additional toppings: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh or canned corn, diced avocado, Cholula hot sauce, whole grain tortilla chips, etc
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Whisk together taco seasoning ingredients if using homemade version.
2. Add chicken broth, chicken, green chilies, onion, potatoes, pepper, squash, garlic, salt, cumin, tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning to the pressure cooker pot and gently stir.
3. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
4. When cooking is complete, use a natural release. 10 minute natural release can also be used and then release any remaining pressure.
5. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board, cover with foil. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until very smooth. This can also be done in batches with a blender. Be careful not to overfill the blender! Place a towel over the lid and gently pulse before turning the speed up to blend. Chop or shred chicken and return it to the pot of soup. Add cannellini beans and stir.
6. To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, immediately sprinkle with cheese and top with desired toppings.