Easy Taco Soup

Taco soup makes a quick Mexican meal! You don’t need to get takeout; you can make this soup faster than you can get in your car, go to the drive-through, and come back home. If you are looking for one of those easy soup recipes that is filling, this taco soup recipe is the one you want to try!

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Original Taco Soup Recipe

Soup is good food, and when a bowl of it tastes as great as this taco soup with ground beef, you’ll want to cook it often. Thankfully, this recipe is quick and easy and uses common ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen. If you know how to use a can opener and brown ground beef (and if you don’t know how to cook ground beef, see below), you can do this.

Enjoy this extremely hearty beef taco soup as a light meal, or pair it with a sandwich or salad when you are really hungry. It’s a snap to customize, simple to cook in bulk, and stores wonderfully. Give this simple taco soup a try.

What Makes Taco Soup So Good?

With this recipe, it feels as if you are taking a bite of a delicious loaded taco! The only difference is that it is in the form of a satisfying soup. The combination of browned ground beef, succulent sweet corn, creamy kidney beans, and flavorful stewed tomatoes blend together in harmony, making a highly palatable meal.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

I know you are going to love this easy taco soup recipe. It is a very versatile soup. You can customize it to fit your specific preferences, whether you want to include other mix-ins or use multiple garnishes to give it an extravagant presentation when you serve it.

Personally, I have been known to add in a can of green chilies or even a packet of dry ranch dressing mix for a variety of flavors.

This soup is always gobbled up by the family when it is served. Because of its simple yet irresistible flavor, people of all ages enjoy it, even kids who tend to be picky. It is the best taco soup recipe!

This Taco Soup tastes great when reheated the next day. This is one of those dishes that tastes better on day two. I love to bring this soup to work for lunch. You can always use it for meal prep, which takes off stress for busy work weeks.

Finally, you should try this recipe because the soup has a delicious classic taco flavor thanks to the taco seasoning. Don’t skip the seasoning; it can make or break the dish.

What’s in Taco Seasoning?

There isn’t one recipe when it comes to taco seasoning. Typically, it is a mixture of paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion and garlic powders, salt, and perhaps even a pinch of sugar.

You can use store-bought taco seasoning, but they are usually expensive, and who knows what’s in it? If you have a stocked spice cabinet, you can make your own.

Remember, you can use taco seasoning for much more than just tacos. Try it on burgers, eggs, or as a dry rub for red meat.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

• Ground beef – you can swap the beef for ground turkey if you desire
• Taco seasoning – you can buy a packet of taco seasoning or you can use homemade taco seasoning
• Canned corn – Mexi-corn is a great swap
• Canned kidney beans – you could use black beans or pinto beans
• Canned stewed tomatoes – you can use a can of diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Water

How to Make Taco Soup

1. Brown ground beef and drain off the excess grease.

2. Dump all ingredients in a large pot or skillet.

3. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
4. Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Taco Soup in a Slow Cooker

This is an easy recipe to adapt for your crock-pot. Simply brown your ground beef in a skillet. Drain the beef and then add everything into the slow cooker, stir well, and cook on low for 4 hours.

3 Tips for Cooking Ground Beef for Soup

Cooking ground beef is a frequent kitchen task that is a little more complicated than it may initially seem. Sure, you can plop a bunch of ground beef in the middle of a hot pan and stir it now, but that’s not going to give you the best results. If you want great taste and texture, try these tricks.

• Start with room-temperature ground beef. Thaw ground beef slowly in the fridge overnight. Don’t use the microwave or frozen meat. This helps the meat reabsorb juices and taste better.
• Cook the ground beef in a large sauté pan with a thick bottom. This distributes the heat better. No additional oil is needed for cooking ground beef unless it is very lean. Evenly crumble the meat and use low heat to prevent drying and shrinking.
• Use a wooden spatula to turn the meat over every few minutes. Cook slowly until the ground beef is no longer pink. If you notice liquid collecting in the pan, drain it to keep your beef from simmering. When done, drain the meat in a colander. If you want to reduce the fat and calories drastically, you can briefly rinse the ground beef.

Tips For Serving This Quick and Easy Taco Soup

• Make it a day before. This soup actually tastes better the second day after cooking, so plan ahead.
• This soup is made for topping. Be creative and add what you love. See some topping ideas below.

If you plan to use garnishes, make sure to wait until the last minute before serving to do so. Only top the soup you will eat to keep the crispy toppings from getting soggy.

Sometimes, I will heat fresh flour tortillas and dig into this soup instead of using tortilla strips; it is entirely up to you!

Topping Ideas for Taco Soup

You may want to top your taco soup with some fun and tasty toppings. Here are some you should try:

• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Chopped avocado
• Chopped cilantro
• Thinly sliced green onions
• Crispy tortilla chips or tortilla strips
• A dollop of sour cream
• A couple of dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce or your favorite hot sauce
• Lime wedges for a squeeze of fresh lime juice

How to Store and Reheat Taco Soup

This soup makes a lot of soup. To refrigerate your leftovers simply store the leftover soup in an airtight container for up to five days. To freeze the soup, be sure to store it in a freezer-safe container or a vacuum-sealed bag.

I recommend reheating the soup by placing the portion you want in a pot and reheating it over medium heat until the soup has been heated through.

If you want to reheat soup that is frozen, pull it out of the freezer the night before to thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating it on the stovetop.

More Soup and Chili Recipes

• Southwest Chicken Soup
• Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
• Wendy’s Chili
• White Bean Chicken Chili
• Navy Bean Soup Recipe
• Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe
• Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• She Crab Soup Recipe
• Potato Soup with Milk
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Favorite Taco Recipes

• Taco Bell Tacos
• Taco Spaghetti Bake
• Taco Casserole with Corn Tortillas

Be sure to check out more of my hearty soup recipes and the best Mexican food recipes here on CopyKat.com!

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