Taco Soup

This tried and true recipe for easy, healthy Taco Soup makes enough to serve a hungry crowd plus have leftovers for later. Great for weekly meal prep. Gluten free, dairy free, made with beef or turkey, includes vegetarian option. This simple recipe is made on the stove top and will be your go to comfort food!

Taco Soup is undoubtedly the recipe I've prepared the most in my twenty eight years of living.

It's incredibly simple to prepare, makes a lot, and is a crowd-pleasing bowl of comfort. No one ever turns down a bowl of this Taco Soup (unless they're vegetarian, and in that case, I'll make them a bowl of this Three Bean and Quinoa Chili).

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It seems strange to me that I've yet to the post this recipe, but I know exactly why... I make it so often that I forget to write down specific ingredient amounts.

That has to be one of the most frustrating things that I do to myself. Why oh why can't I just write it all down?!

I suppose I'm convinced that I will remember every detail.

I should find this funny, seeing as I can't remember where my car keys are, and last Thursday morning I spent 10 minutes searching for my phone using my phone's flashlight to try and find it. 

No lie. I was walking around my apartment at 7am using the flashlight on the phone trying to find my phone.

Eventually, I gave up trying to find it, stuck my flashlight phone in my pocket, and realized when I got to work that I had been using my phone the whole time... face palm.

Moral of the story -- I don't remember things very well -- which brings me to the irony that I create recipes for this blog and then don't write them down.

Or even worse, I write them on a random piece of paper and lose it! The horror!

Just recently, I've started keeping a spiral bound notebook in my kitchen so there are no lost recipes that I have to make multiple times just to record the recipe.

Finally, I captured this recipe in all its detail.

The original recipe calls for taco seasoning packets and ranch dressing packets. I've gone on my rant for those in the past, so I won't do it again. But I refuse to use them.

There are just so many unnecessary and unappealing ingredients in those packets that it's not worth the 3.75 minutes that you save by using them. Plus, the cost adds up if you use them regularly.

All you have to do is keep a few spices on hand, and you don't need to buy those expensive/weird-ingredient-filled things.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is simple and makes enough to serve a hungry crowd.

Taco Soup

This tried and true recipe for easy, healthy Taco Soup makes enough to serve a hungry crowd plus have leftovers for later. This simple gluten free, dairy free recipe is made on the stove top and will be your go to comfort food!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 12 cups

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
• ▢ 2 large onions diced
• ▢ 2 medium bell peppers diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cumin
• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons onion flakes or onion powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons paprika
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 28 ounce can no-salt added diced tomatoes undrained
• ▢ 4 ounce can diced green chilies undrained
• ▢ 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 15 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 15 ounce can white corn drained and rinsed
• ▢ 4 cups water

for toppings:

• ▢ grated cheese
• ▢ avocado
• ▢ green onions chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground beef, diced onions and bell peppers. Cook until meat is browned. Drain. 
• Return to the pot. Add minced garlic and seasonings (chili powder, dried parsley, cumin, garlic powder, onion flakes, paprika, oregano, dill, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper) and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil, and reduce temperature to simmering. Simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, making sure to stir occasionally.
• Serve with optional toppings if desired.

Notes

*You can use any combination of beans, corn, etc. in here. I also love chickpeas, white beans, hominy, and/or yellow corn.

*You can use 2 (14 to 15 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes or 1 (28 ounce) can.

*As a substitute for the diced green chiles, you can use 1 (10 ounce) can of diced tomatoes and green chiles in place of the 4 ounce can diced green chiles and 1 can of tomatoes.

*For a vegetarian version, skip the ground meat and sauté the bell peppers and onions in 1 tablespoon oil. Add an extra can or two of beans (any type).

*For a less spicy soup, be sure to use mild diced green chiles. You can also use less cayenne pepper or omit.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

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What to use in this recipe:

Meme

Doesn't this recipe look good?! You should probably pin it for later: