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A quick internet search will yield many Taco Soup recipes. Most of them call for powdered ranch dressing. I don’t buy that and have actually never used it, so I’m not even sure what ingredients are in it to try to duplicate. No matter. We like this version just fine. I do use some of my pantry storage items for this as opposed to all fresh. But I’m sure it would be spectacular using fresh tomatoes and fresh mild peppers.
I make this soup with just about any type of bean. It is wonderful with pinto, black, white or red beans. You can even use commercially canned beans if you choose! Use chunks of meat (beef or game), instead of ground, if that’s what you have on hand. Add more meat if you like a meatier soup.
Taco Soup
- 1/4 to 1/2 pound ground beef or game
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (more or less) chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- Leftover cooked beans plus their juice (or one can pinto, black, kidney, or pink beans)
- 1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes with juice, any variety
- 2 cups frozen corn or 1 can corn
- 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
- Additional broth/water as needed to make a soup-like consistency
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef along with the onions. Then add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Allow it to cook for a minute or two for flavors to coat the beef. Add the garlic and stir, then add the beans, bean juice, tomatoes, corn, and green chilies. Stir well and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus additional broth/water as needed.
Toppings
- Shredded cheese
- Clabber Cheese
- Sour cream
- Tortilla chips/tortilla strips
- Chopped onion or green onions
- Chopped tomato
Put any or all toppings on a bowl of soup at serving time. For the tortilla chips/strips, I use leftover tortillas cut in either triangles or strips and then lightly fried in coconut oil. Yum!
This dish only uses 1/2 pound of ground meat, but you could certainly add more or even omit if desired (remember the broth is nutrient-dense). I like to use the other half-pound of beef as a pizza topping the next night or I’ll brown it and freeze it for future use.
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