Taco Soup
Easy to make and made with classic taco ingredients, this simple taco soup is the comfort-food way to satisfy your taco Tuesday cravings any day of the week.
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Table of Contents
- About Taco Soup
- What’s in taco soup?
- Should you shred your own cheese?
- Can you add more vegetables?
- Can you make this soup in advance?
- How long is taco soup good for?
- Can you freeze taco soup?
- What’s the best way to reheat soup?
- Notes & tips for taco soup
- More delicious soup recipes
- Other fun recipes for Cinco de Mayo
- How to make taco soup
- Recipe Details
About Taco Soup
Never miss Taco Tuesday again with this easy soup that brings all the deliciousness of classic tacos into pure comfort food form.
What’s in taco soup?
To whip up a pot of this simple soup, you will need:
- Vegetable oil – Just a little bit for frying.
- White onion, garlic, ground beef – All cooked together for delicious flavor.
- Taco seasoning – Because any proper taco soup needs classic taco flavor. You can use storebought or homemade, from mild to spicy.
- Chicken broth – Forms the basis of the soup. You could also use beef broth or vegetable broth.
- Pinto beans and corn – Soup staples for pure comfort food. This recipe is designed to use canned versions of both for easy preparation. Feel free to omit either of these or use a different type of beans.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – Chosen for their added flavor, these add texture and classic tomatoes to this taco soup. If you’re not a fan of fire-roasted, regular diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with chiles can be used instead.
- Cilantro – A delicious staple in lots of Mexican cuisine, this taco-inspired soup is no exception.
- Bay leaf – Adds a refreshing, peppery flavor that really compliments this soup.
- Salt and pepper – Go-to seasonings for customizing the soup to your tastes.
- Avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, and cheddar cheese – Tasty garnishes for serving, all optional.
Should you shred your own cheese?
Using pre-grated cheese is extremely convenient, but it contains some preservatives (such as potato starch) that help keep the grated cheese separated in the bag. And while this is great for grabbing a quick pinch of cheese, it will also cause the melted cheese to appear lumpy or harden faster than it normally should.
So if you’re a cheese lover like me and want the creamiest experience possible for your soup, I highly recommend shredding a block of cheddar cheese for garnishing your soup. I know it’s more work, but the end result will more than make up for it.
Can you add more vegetables?
Certainly!
No matter what type of vegetables you’d like to include (sliced zucchini, bell peppers, etc), you can add anywhere from 1/2-1 cup during the same step that you add the chicken broth.
Can you make this soup in advance?
Yes! In fact, this is the type of soup that tends to get better the longer it has to sit and marinate in the flavors.
For best results, you can prepare the soup up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to serve.
How long is taco soup good for?
Once prepared and cooled, taco soup can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four to six days.
Can you freeze taco soup?
Yes, you totally can!
Once prepared and cooled, taco soup can be stored in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to four to six months.
What’s the best way to reheat soup?
To successfully enjoy your soup leftovers, follow these steps:
- If the soup is frozen, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for eight hours or ideally overnight. You can also submerge the container/bag in warm water for about an hour – just be sure that the package is tightly sealed and won’t leak.
- Stovetop: Add the soup to a saucepan or large pot and warm over medium heat until the desired temperature is reached.
- Microwave: Heat in the microwave for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until the desired temperature is reached.
Notes & tips for taco soup
- You can substitute the canned corn for an equal portion of frozen corn. If you haven’t thawed the corn before adding it to the pot, cook time may need to be increased slightly.
- You can substitute the ground beef for an equal portion of ground turkey. ground chicken, or ground pork.
More delicious soup recipes
Other fun recipes for Cinco de Mayo
How to make taco soup
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a Dutch oven or similar pot, heat the olive oil. Add the white onion, then cook until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
Step 2 – Add the ground beef and taco seasoning, then cook and crumble until browned.
Step 3 – Pour in the chicken broth, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes, cilantro, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, then stir.
Step 4 – Let simmer!
Step 5 – Serve and enjoy!
Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large chopped white onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- sliced avocado, for garnish (optional)
- sour cream, for garnish (optional)
- shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm vegetable oil. Add yellow onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 large chopped white onion, 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- Add ground beef and taco seasoning to pot, then cook and crumble until no longer pink. If desired, drain or sop up excess grase.1 pound ground beef, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Add chicken broth, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes, cilantro, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to pot, then stir to combine.16 ounces chicken broth, 16 ounces canned pinto beans, 16 ounces canned corn, 16 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, 1 bay leaf, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper
- Bring to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the bay leaf from the soup.
- Serve immediately with more cilantro, avocado, sour cream, and cheddar cheese as garnish (all optional).2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
