Before I took the training wheels off my Internet, I used to hang out on AOL’s Kitchen Frugality message board. This soup recipe came from one of those fine ladies and has become a standard in our home. Even if you think you can’t boil water, I promise you can make this soup while standing on your head, assuming you can stand on your head. As written, this recipe makes 10 one-cup servings.
If you have a microwave available at work, freeze several portions in individual containers, and enjoy the glare of your jealous co-workers.
I should also note that you don’t have to use the beans listed in the ingredients. Use three cans of what you have on hand: pinto, black, kidney, even navy. If you prefer your soup to be less brothy, simply omit one can of water.
Quick Suggestion
My good friend Kendra uses hominy instead of corn, which you should be able to find in the Hispanic / Latino section of your supermarket.
The Best Taco Soup
This budget-friendly Tex-Mex soup is a family favorite and is easy enough for a weeknight
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or pork or turkey (or use lentils)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 package ranch-style dressing mix or substitute 1 - 2 TBSP homemade ranch dressing mix
- 1 package taco seasoning mix or use your own homemade taco seasoning mix
- 2 cans diced tomatoes w/ green chilis (substitute plain tomatoes if family members prefer a mild soup)
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 1 can corn (try cream style) or 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cans of water
- grated cheese, sour cream, and/or cilantro for garnish
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef, and use the spatula to break the ground beef into small chunks while cooking.
- When the meat is uniformly cooked, drain as much fat as possible.
- Return the cooked ground beef to the pan with the chopped onion over medium-low heat.
- Stir in the two seasoning packets.
- As soon as the onion begins to soften, add all the remaining ingredients except the garnish and chips.
- Simmer for twenty minutes.
- Garnish.
- Serve.
What do you need to make taco soup?
- ground beef or pork, or turkey (or use lentils)
- onion
- ranch-style dressing mix or substitute 1 – 2 TBSP homemade ranch dressing mix
- taco seasoning mix or use your own homemade taco seasoning mix
- diced tomatoes w/ green chilis (substitute plain tomatoes if family members prefer a mild soup)
- kidney beans
- black beans
- garbanzo beans
- 1 can corn (try cream style) or 2 cups frozen corn
- grated cheese
- sour cream
- cilantro for garnish (optional)
- tortilla chips
- wooden spoon
- large, heavy pot 5-quart minimum
Ridiculously simple, no?
Let me know how yours turns out!
We usually serve taco soup with simple sweet cornbread that is baked in a muffin tin.
Grilled cheese would be another simple addition to round out the meal.
Like taco seasoning? Our taco skillet is another easy recipe that uses these flavors.
This really is a fantastic soup and a hit with kids too!
Mmmm…hominy. I always thought of hominy as “soul food” though…not Mexican food. I grew up on “fried hominy” – I can feel my arteries hardening at the very thought. ;o) And for those who may have trouble digesting corn – hominy is very digestible.
I would be really tempted to add some thinly sliced avocado to this soup right before serving.
BTW, if beans are an “issue,” try adding a tablespoon of dried Epazote (a green herb) to your dish. It adds a very light flavor (somewhere between anise and sage) and gets rid of the gas.
How much would a package of ranch dressing mix be (I have a bottle of Ranch Penzey’s spice)?
Where can I get taco seasoning packets? At my store I only seem to see them in taco shell boxes.
Can’t wait to try it, thanks! 🙂
YUM! I’m gonna make this for dinner!
@JRae – The usual “Hidden Valley” type of ranch dressing mix contains stuff not in the Penzey’s mix, which is just dried herbs and spices, and is MUCH more concentrated than the packaged mix. To make an equivalent of “Hidden Valley” using the Penzey’s mix, you’ll probably need to add a little sugar, a little lemon juice, some cornstarch, and some dried buttermilk powder to the Penzey’s – but you’ll have a much healthier mix.
Taco seasoning typically is a blend of chili powder and cumin (comino) with finely ground dehydrated onion and garlic.
With a little “it’s easier to add more than to take it out” experimentation and you’ll be able to replicate this recipe from scratch. ;o)
Ok, I made it. Delicious! I used ground turkey, 2 cans of black beans and 1 can of great northern beans. I can’t stop stuffing My face!
Definately putting this on my “to make” list!
Thanks for posting this! I love to make this kind of soup with some leftover rotisserie chicken!
Thanks Keter! 🙂
That looks lovely, I think I’m going to replace the tortilla chips with something else like bread to soak it up. Will definitely give this a try!
Wow, that looks so flavorful and filling! LOVE it!
I make this with just the taco seasoning , red pepper flakes , and pretty much whatever canned or frozen veggies I have on hand . I have also added a can of spicey V-8 to give some extra flavor . We serve it with shredded cheese (whatever cheese is on hand ) and cornbread . It is one of my husbands favorite soups .
Yum yum yum yum! And I LOVE hominy. Never had it until a friend included it in her taco soup. Now I always use it in mine. I can usually find it with the rest of the canned veggies.
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Add rice during cooking and sour cream and jalapenos at the end….fantastic.
loved it
DidnÂ’t know the forum rules allowed such bilrliant posts.
This sounds delish, but beware of the high sodium. Seems the seasoning and dressing powers would be very high in sodium.
There are definitely low sodium or homemade options -I generally just toss in chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder… The package is for convenience if someone needs that.
This is a little more complicated than the taco soup recipe my family uses. It sounds good and I’ll have to make it side by side with what I’m used to. My usual recipe is a can each of tomato with green chiles, kidney beans, pinto beans, whole kernel corn, a ranch packet, a taco seasoning packet (or fajita for more kick), and a lb of meat (ground beef for mild or spice it up with hot Italian sausage).