Hearty Taco Soup: The Ultimate Easy Ground Beef Recipe for Family Dinners
This **Taco Soup** recipe masterfully blends the beloved Mexican-inspired flavors of traditional tacos into a convenient and incredibly satisfying soup. It’s brimming with all the classic taco-style ingredients you love, yet it’s even simpler to prepare than assembling individual tacos! Get ready for a weeknight wonder that’s bursting with flavor and warmth.
Are you tired of the same old Taco Tuesday routine? Look no further than this vibrant and zesty **beef taco soup** recipe! This delightful dish offers a fantastic alternative, making your favorite taco flavors more versatile and incredibly easy to enjoy. Unlike traditional tacos, this soup is wonderfully portable, meaning you can effortlessly pack up any leftovers for a delicious and hearty lunch the next day. Imagine the smiles when you bring this incredibly flavorful and comforting dish to your next potluck or family gathering!
While perfect for warming up during crisp fall and chilly winter evenings, this recipe is so delicious and adaptable that it can be savored any time of the year. Its robust flavors and satisfying texture make it a perennial favorite. If you’re searching for more hearty soup and chili recipes to add to your rotation, be sure to try my Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili – another crowd-pleaser!
Easy Taco Soup with Ground Beef: A Weeknight Favorite
This Mexican-inspired taco soup is incredibly filling and hearty, making it an excellent choice for your weekly meal planning. Its robust flavor profile, combined with minimal effort, makes it a go-to for busy individuals and families alike. Simple yet powerful ingredients like creamy sour cream, aromatic onions, and pungent garlic infuse this recipe with a depth of flavor that is both satisfying and delightfully creamy. For an extra burst of freshness and texture, consider topping your bowl with luscious avocado slices, crunchy tortilla chips, and vibrant fresh cilantro.
One of the best aspects of this taco soup is its adaptability. Do you prefer a spicier kick? Or perhaps a richer, creamier consistency? This delicious dish can be easily customized to suit your personal taste preferences! For an unparalleled flavor experience, I highly recommend trying your own homemade taco seasoning. It allows for even greater control over the spice and herb blend, elevating the soup to new heights. To achieve a thicker, more luxuriant soup, simply incorporate a bit more sour cream or even a spoonful of cream cheese.
This versatile taco soup is also perfect for meal prepping. It will remain fresh and delicious for approximately one week when stored properly in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can easily freeze it! Simply portion the soup into individual servings and store them in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, reheating is a breeze – just use your microwave or warm it gently on the stovetop.
Looking to make this recipe even more effortless? Transform it into a slow cooker meal! I’ve included detailed instructions on how to make this fantastic crock pot taco soup in the recipe card below, ensuring a warm and comforting dinner with minimal hands-on time.
Essential Taco Soup Ingredients
Crafting the perfect taco soup starts with selecting quality ingredients. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need and why each component is crucial for building incredible flavor:
- Lean Ground Beef: For a healthier, less greasy soup, opt for ground beef with no more than 10 percent fat. This ensures a hearty base without excessive richness. For an alternative, more tender texture and flavor, consider using shredded chicken instead. Chicken taco soup is a fantastic variation that’s always a crowd-pleaser! Ground turkey also works wonderfully for a lighter option.
- Onion: Sautéed onions provide a foundational aromatic base for this dish, lending a rich, savory flavor and a subtle, natural sweetness that balances the other ingredients beautifully.
- Garlic: Garlic is an indispensable flavor enhancer, perfectly complementing the onions. Without its pungent depth, this dish would simply lack its signature robust and complex taste. Freshly minced garlic offers the best flavor.
- Taco Seasoning: While a store-bought packet of taco seasoning is incredibly convenient and works great, if you truly want to infuse this soup with maximum, authentic flavor, I highly recommend making your own homemade taco seasoning with my easy recipe! It allows you to control the freshness and blend of spices.
- Mexican Stewed Tomatoes: These tomatoes are specially prepared with a blend of spices, making them ideal for dishes like stews and chilis where you want larger, flavorful chunks of cooked tomato that integrate well into the liquid. They add a rich tomato base with an extra kick.
- Rotel Tomatoes: This popular canned ingredient is a vibrant mix of diced red tomatoes and zesty green chilies. Rotel adds a distinctive tangy and mildly spicy flavor that is characteristic of many Tex-Mex dishes, providing both heat and a bright tomato element.
- Pinto Beans: These humble beans are packed with both protein and fiber, making them a nutritious and substantial addition. Pinto beans are easy to cook and contribute a creamy, earthy texture that is delicious as a side dish or as a main ingredient in soups, stews, burritos, and many Mexican-inspired recipes. Make sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly before adding to the soup.
- Mexicorn: A unique vegetable blend from Green Giant, Mexicorn features a delightful combination of sweet corn kernels along with diced green and red bell peppers. This adds a burst of color, sweetness, and a pleasant crunch to the soup, enhancing both its flavor and visual appeal.
- Beef Stock: Beef stock is the liquid foundation of this soup, serving to intensify and deepen the savory flavors of all the other ingredients, especially the ground beef. It creates a rich and cohesive broth.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is chosen for its excellent melting capabilities and its fantastic performance as a topping. It imparts a slightly sharp, salty, and incredibly comforting quality to the dish, making it undeniably delicious.
- Sour Cream: Incorporating sour cream is key to achieving a beautifully creamy texture and helping to balance out any spicy notes present in the soup. It adds a wonderful tang and richness that brings all the flavors together.
How to Make the Best Taco Soup: A Step-by-Step Guide
Making this hearty taco soup is incredibly straightforward, perfect for cooks of all skill levels. Follow these simple steps for a delicious meal:
1. Cook Your Protein Base
In a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot, begin by browning your lean ground beef. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot, cooking until the beef is fully cooked through and the onions are translucent and fragrant. Once done, make sure to drain any excess grease thoroughly to keep your soup light and flavorful.
2. Prepare the Tomato Base
Take your Mexican stewed tomatoes and Rotel tomatoes, and purée them in a blender or food processor until you achieve a smooth consistency. This step ensures a velvety tomato base that evenly distributes flavor throughout the soup.
3. Season and Combine
Return the browned ground beef mixture to the pot if you removed it. Now, add the taco seasoning to the beef, stirring well to coat and infuse the meat with vibrant spice. Next, pour in the puréed tomatoes, along with the can of diced tomatoes (undrained for extra liquid and texture), drained pinto beans, Mexicorn, and the beef stock. Give everything a good stir to combine all the delicious ingredients.
4. Simmer to Perfection
Bring the soup mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow it to simmer for at least one hour. This simmering time is crucial as it allows all the flavors to meld beautifully, creating a rich and deeply satisfying soup.
5. Add Creaminess and Cheese
Approximately 10 minutes before you plan to serve the soup, stir in the sour cream and half of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sour cream is fully incorporated, adding a wonderful creaminess and richness. Reserve the remaining cheese for topping individual servings.
6. Serve and Enjoy!
Ladle the hot taco soup into bowls. Garnish generously with your favorite toppings such as fresh cilantro, a dollop of extra sour cream, more shredded cheese, slices of fresh avocado, and crispy tortilla chips. Enjoy this comforting and flavorful meal!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Taco Soup
This Taco Soup isn’t just a recipe; it’s a culinary experience that simplifies weeknight cooking while delivering maximum flavor. Its versatility makes it a perfect fit for any occasion, from casual family dinners to festive gatherings. You’ll appreciate how effortlessly it comes together, and your taste buds will thank you for the explosion of Tex-Mex flavors. It’s a comforting bowl that truly feels like a warm hug, especially on cooler days. Give it a try, and watch it become a staple in your recipe collection!
Don’t Forget to Pin This Recipe!
Love this savory Taco Soup recipe and want to keep it handy? Don’t let it slip away! Pin it directly to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest so you can easily find it whenever that taco soup craving strikes!
Other Taco-Inspired Recipes You Will Enjoy
In my culinary philosophy, tacos aren’t just a dish—they’re a fundamental food group! If you share this sentiment, you’ll love exploring these other fantastic ways to enjoy that irresistible taco flavor in various creative forms:
- Taco Loaded Baked Potato: A hearty and satisfying meal combining the comfort of a baked potato with spicy taco fillings.
- Aunt Sue’s Taco Salad: A fresh and flavorful salad packed with all the delicious components of a taco.
- Hot Taco Dip: The perfect appetizer for parties and game days, rich with cheesy taco goodness.
- Taco Stew: A thicker, heartier cousin to taco soup, ideal for a robust meal.
- Yummy Taco Meatloaf: A creative twist on classic meatloaf, infused with delicious taco spices.
- Indian Tacos with Indian Fry Bread: A unique and savory dish blending Indigenous culinary traditions with taco flavors.
- Taco Pork Chops: Juicy pork chops seasoned with taco spices for a quick and flavorful dinner.
- Mom’s Taco Casserole: A comforting and easy-to-make casserole, perfect for feeding a crowd.
Let’s make some savory Taco Soup today! It’s a recipe you’ll come back to again and again. 
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Print Recipe
Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 packet or 4 Tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1 14 ounce can Mexican Stewed Tomatoes
- 1 can Rotel Tomatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 11 ounce can Mexicorn
- 1 32 ounce beef stock
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream + more for serving
- Optional garnish: avocado slices fresh cilantro, tortilla chips, jalapeños
Instructions
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In a large Dutch oven, brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic until cooked through. Drain any excess grease thoroughly.
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Purée the Mexican stewed tomatoes and Rotel in a blender or food processor until smooth.
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Add the taco seasoning to the browned ground beef in the pot, stirring well to combine.
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Stir in the puréed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, drained pinto beans, MexiCorn, and beef stock to the pot.
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Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
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About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the sour cream and half of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the soup is creamy. Reserve the remaining cheese for topping.
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Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro, additional sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado slices, and crispy tortilla chips, if desired. Enjoy your delicious Taco Soup!
Notes
To make this recipe in the SLOW COOKER: Brown the ground beef with onion and garlic in a skillet. Drain excess grease. Transfer the browned beef mixture and all other ingredients (except cheese and sour cream) to your crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the cheese and sour cream until melted and creamy.