Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom: Taco Soup

I adapted this recipe a bit from one my cousin, Donna makes. It is absolutely the simplest thing in the world and amazingly delicious... not to mention very healthy! The protein here is ground beef, but the flavors are so big in this soup that you could certainly substitute ground turkey for an even healthier, lower fat version. On a dark, rainy evening, this soup is sure to take the chill out of your bones. Cornbread muffins would be just perfect as an accompaniment, or you could simply serve the soup with corn chips for dipping.

Click for Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 lb lean ground beef (90/10)
1 chopped onion
1 (14½ oz) can chili-style tomatoes
1 (17 oz) can whole kernel corn
½ (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed
½ (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (8 oz) can water
1 (14 oz) can Rotel tomatoes with chilies, mild
2 - 3 cups chicken broth
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
Suggested Toppings:

Sour cream

Grated cheese

Corn chips or tortilla chips.

Step-by-Step:

Brown the ground beef. I did NOT add any additional oil.

Even in the lean 90 percent lean: 10 percent fat version, there is plenty of fat in the meat already.
Feel free to cut back to only 1 lb of meat if you desire a soup that is a little thinner. Depends on your audience.

2 lb lean ground beef.

Drain off the fat once it is browned.

I lined a colander with paper towels to drain the fat.

Return the meat to the pot.

Add in 1 chopped onion.

I have helpers for this sort of thing. Haha!

Add in 1 can of Seasoned Diced Tomato Sauce for Chili.

You can use regular diced tomatoes if you want to. I like that these come with some seasoning already in them.

1 can of whole kernel corn.

Add in the beans after you have drained and rinsed them.

We added kidney beans AND black beans. We added between 1/2 and 2/3 of this. When you have a helper, it's a little harder to judge. But in this recipe, it really doesn't matter. Add in as much as you wish.

Add in 1 can of tomato sauce.

Then, 1 can of water. I just use the same can. That way I get ALL of the flavor out of the can.

1 package of taco seasoning.

1 package of ranch dressing mix.

2 - 3 cups of chicken broth.

1 can of mild, Rotel tomatoes. (Tomatoes with chilies added)

If you don't have access to these, you could use another can of diced tomatoes and 1 small can of diced green chilies.

So now, just give it a good stir. Bring it up to a boil, then down to a simmer for 1 hour.

And we have a beautiful, healthy, very flavorful soup!

I served mine with grated cheese, sour cream, and corn chips. I planned on making corn bread muffins, but we got to playing with something and I ran out of time.

Written Method:

Sauté ground beef and drain well. Add all the other soup ingredients. Simmer 1 hr. Serve over chips. Top with sour cream and grated cheese. *I could also see this as being a great candidate for a crock pot soup!

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