This taco soup is a hearty blend of ground beef, two types of beans, vegetables and seasonings, all simmered to perfection. An easy dinner option that’s kid friendly and quick to make!
You can’t go wrong with a hot bowl of soup on a winter day. My family always requests New England clam chowder, beef barley soup, cabbage roll soup, stuffed pepper soup, and this zesty taco soup.
Ever find yourself with a package of hamburger and no idea about what to make for dinner? That’s me most of the time! If I’ve got ground beef on hand, I often whip up a pot of this super easy taco soup. It’s loaded with veggies, beans and meat and tastes just like tacos! Looking for more great soup ideas? Be sure to try my lasagna soup and Zuppa Toscana!
How do you make taco soup?
This taco soups starts off with ground beef, onions and bell peppers which get cooked until tender. A whole bunch of other flavorings go into the pot including taco seasoning, tomatoes, pinto beans, corn, black beans and beef broth. Everything simmers together for a few minutes, then dinner is ready. Serve your soup with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Tips for Taco Soup
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It has a lot of flavor, but isn’t overly greasy. If you’re using ground beef with a higher fat content, you’ll want to drain off any excess grease after it’s cooked.
- You can use ground turkey instead of beef if you prefer. Another great option is to use half ground beef, half Mexican chorizo.
- This soup can be made up to 2 days in advance, then reheated in the microwave or on the stove top. You can also freeze any leftover soup for up to 2 months. You can reheat the soup fro frozen, or else thaw it in the refrigerator over night.
- I like the combination of the two types of beans, but if you only have one variety of beans on hand, the soup will still be great that way.
- My favorite toppings for this soup include tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, diced tomato and olives.
- This soup is hearty enough to serve on its own as a complete meal, or you can add a side of Mexican Caesar salad.
Slow cooker taco soup
This recipe can easily be adapted for the slow cooker. Simply brown your meat, onions and peppers in a skillet, then add them to a crock pot along with the rest of the soup ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 2-3 hours. Add any toppings as desired, then serve.
Taco soup variations
This soup is delicious as-is, but you can mix up the flavorings to customize the recipe to your taste.
- Chicken: Use cooked shredded chicken or ground chicken instead of the beef.
- Spicy: Add 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, or hot sauce to taste.
- Low Carb: Double the amount of ground beef and omit the beans and corn. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice during the last 5 minutes of the cooking process.
- Creamy: After the soup is done, remove the pot from the stove and stir in 1 cup of sour cream.
This taco soup is the perfect easy dinner option that the whole family will love! It’s colorful, full of flavor, and takes just minutes to put together.
More great soup recipes
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
Taco Soup Video
Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded, cored and chopped
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles drained
- 6 cups beef broth
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- salt and pepper to taste
- toppings such as cilantro, tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado and shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Add the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, beef broth, black beans, pinto beans and corn to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.
Nutrition
This recipe was published on March 10, 2019 and was updated on January 31, 2020 with new content.
We LOVE this recipe! I use ground turkey and add a cup or two of chicken broth in addition to the beef stock. Tonight I’m using leftover stuffed pepper filling (ground turkey, taco seasoning and Mexican rice along with the rest of the ingredients). I also add some Pace picante sauce and some cayenne to add a bit of zing. Can’t go wrong with this recipe…great with cornbread, tortillas or garlic bread. YUMMY!
Nice to finally have a meal the whole family likes. The kids loved all the toppings they could put on themselves.
Hi Sara,
Gonna make this Mexican bliss in a bowl soup but I have one question. If I use Turkey instead of chicken what flavor broth should I used?
YOU are the BEST!
Deb
This is very original soup! definitely something I would enjoy in the cold months!
This soup would be great for right now while it;s cold. Thanks for sharing. Looks tasty.
I love tacos and I love soup! This would be the ideal duo for me!