Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

By Jill Baird · Published July 25, 2023 · Updated August 21, 2023 · 1 Comment

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This Easy Taco Soup Recipe is a healthy soup recipe loaded with ground beef, beans, and corn.It can be made in just a few minutes, with simple ingredients, is protein-packed, hearty, and filling.

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  • Best Taco Soup Recipe
  • Best Taco Soup Video Tutorial
  • Easy Taco Soup Ingredients
  • How to Make Taco Soup
  • Simple Taco Soup Recipe Tips
  • Easy Taco Soup Recipe
  • More Quick and Easy Soup Recipes

Best Taco Soup Recipe

This is the Best Taco Soup recipe - full of all of the southwest flavors you love and thick and hearty enough for a meal. Load it up with corn chips, cheese, salsa, and sour cream and you have a one-pot meal the entire family can agree on.

This one-pot meal can be made in just under 30 minutes. It's also versatile enough you can make it in the slow cooker for those days when the family can't seem to eat at the same time and you need a meal that can stay warm for several dinner shifts.

And if you love all things tacos, be sure to try our crispy beef tacos, taco pizza, and of course, our homemade taco seasoning.

Best Taco Soup Video Tutorial

Easy Taco Soup Ingredients

  • Oil: You’ll need just a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil to caramelize the onions. Avocado oil or another mild-tasting oil will work great.
  • Ground Beef: It’s best to use a lean cut of ground beef for this taco soup recipe so you don’t have to drain the fat off the cooked meat. I like to use 85/15 ground beef. It makes for juicy ground meat without a lot of extra fat.
  • Onions: To get the taste of fresh onions without having to cut them up is to purchase diced onions in the freezer section at the supermarket. This small detail is a game-changer in so many recipes. Yellow onions, white onions, or even red onions work great in this taco soup with ground beef.
  • Garlic: The jarred, pre-minced, garlic works great in this recipe. Add it to the pan when you’re browning your meat so it has a chance to cook and sweeten.
  • Taco Seasoning: You can use a homemade taco seasoning, packets from the spice isle, or the bulk taco seasoning. Pretty much any of those will work great.
  • Beans: You can make this taco soup with black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans. I like to add a mixture but any variation of these beans will work great.
  • Corn: The best corn for this recipe is super sweet white corn from the freezer section. Seriously, use freezer corn. It’s so fresh and will add a sweetness you don’t get with canned corn. If you’re in a pinch, canned corn will work too.
  • Peppers: Sometimes I have a bunch of pepper from my garden. If you like to “hide” veggies from your kids or have some peppers in your fridge you’d like to use up, this is a great option. Just dice them small and throw them into the pot when you add the minced garlic.
  • Crushed Tomatoes: You can also use diced tomatoes or tomato chunks for this recipe. My kids really dislike chunks of tomatoes so I use crushed tomatoes. It gives the soup a deep rich tomato flavor.
  • Water: You may need to add some extra water to this recipe.Just add a half cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. We like a thick and hearty soup at our house (kind of like the consistency of chili).
Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (1)

How to Make Taco Soup

  1. In a large pot, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and the diced onions. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until the onions are transparent and then turn a caramel color.
  2. Add the ground beef and brown the meat and a cup of water. (This will help the meat cook evenly while it cooks) Use a spoon and break up the chunks of meat until it’s in fine pieces. And almost all the meat is no longer pink.
  3. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple more minutes until the garlic is transparent.
  4. Add peppers if desired, then add the beans, crushed tomatoes, frozen corn, and taco seasoning. Continue to cook on medium heat until the taco soup is hot and bubbly.
  5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and your favorite corn chips. Enjoy!
Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2)

How to Make Crockpot Taco Soup

  1. In a pan on the stove, caramelize your onions. Add the minced garlic.
  2. Brown the ground beef until there is just a little pink showing, then add the prepared meat and the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker/crockpot.
  3. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for about 3 hours or until the ingredients are hot.
  4. Set the slow cooker to warm until you're ready to eat.Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and your favorite corn chips
Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (3)

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to reheat Taco Soup?

If you're wanting to reheat the taco soup after it's been in the fridge, simply put it in a pan on the stovetop, add a little water (It will probably be really thick at this point. The beans and the corn absorb the liquid). Stir frequently until warmed through.

Can you freeze Taco Soup?

Yup! Taco Soup is a great freezer meal. Just store completely cooled soup in freezer bags or another airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.

Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (4)

Simple Taco Soup Recipe Tips

  • You can sub ground turkey or ground chicken for the beef in this recipe.
  • You can also use chicken breast like this chipotle chicken.
  • Use canned or frozen corn.
  • Add more veggies-green beans, shredded carrots, or diced red peppers.
  • Top with your favorites, sour cream, diced tomatoes, diced avocados, Guac, or fresh salsa.

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Print

Easy Taco Soup Recipe

This Easy Taco Soup Recipe is a healthy taco soup recipe, and bonus, it freezes great. It can be made in just a few minutes, with simple ingredients, and is a dinner recipe the entire family will love.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 205kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 med Onion yellow, white or red onions work great
  • 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil any mild flavored cooking oil will do
  • 1 Tabelspoons Garlic
  • 1 lb Ground Beef recommend 85/15
  • 1 28 ounce Crushed Tomatoes canned
  • 1 4 ounce Green Chilies
  • 2 15 ounce Bean canned, with liquid
  • 8-12 ounces Frozen Corn, Super sweet white corn Canned Corn will work too
  • 3 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning homemade, packaged, or bulk
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In a large pot, add a couple tablespoons of oil and the diced onions. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until the onions are transparent and then turn a caramel color.

  • Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple more minutes until the garlic is transparent.

  • Add the ground beef and a cup of water. (This will help the meat cook evenly while it cooks) Use a spoon and break up the chunks of meat until it’s in fine pieces. And almost all the meat is no longer pink.

  • Add the beans. (It’s not necessary to drain the beans, just add the beans to the pot, juice and all)

  • Add the crushed tomatoes, frozen corn, and taco seasoning.

  • Continue to cook on medium heat until the taco soup is hot and bubbly.

  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and your favorite corn chips. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 225mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 3.7mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1.3mg

More Quick and Easy Soup Recipes

  • Lasagna Soup
  • Vegetable and Beef Soup
  • Bean Soup
  • Potato Soup
  • Turkey Enchilada Soup
  • Turkey and Rice Soup
  • Roasted Tomato Soup
  • Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup
  • Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
  • More Soup Recipes

Great Bread Recipes to serve with Taco Soup

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you. It helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (6)

This Easy Taco Soup Recipe is a hearty and healthy homemade soup recipe loaded with ground beef, beans, and corn.It can be made in just a few minutes, with simple ingredients.

« Rustic Cheddar Cheese Bread

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debra

    I used beef broth instead of water and I doubled it. Turned out great!!

    Reply

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Best Taco Soup Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What can I use to thicken taco soup? ›

If you want to thicken up your taco soup quickly, cornstarch or flour could be your best friends. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch or flour with equal parts water in a small bowl until smooth.

How do you thicken Mexican soup? ›

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

How do you make taco soup less spicy? ›

Add Some Starches

The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve a smaller portion with plenty of rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, or plain starch to counter the heat. For soups and stews, raw and starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots work well.

How do you make soup more spicy? ›

How To Make Soup Spicy
  1. Choose the Right Spices. Spices are the key to adding heat and depth to your soup. ...
  2. Sauté with Spice. Take your soup to the next level by sautéing the spices before adding them to the pot. ...
  3. Add Fresh Chilies. ...
  4. Incorporate Hot Sauce or Sriracha. ...
  5. Balance with Creaminess. ...
  6. Garnish with Heat.
Feb 1, 2024

Is it better to thicken soup with flour or cornstarch? ›

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

What is the best ingredient to thicken soup? ›

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

Does adding cornstarch to soup make it thicker? ›

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

Why isn't my soup thickening with cornstarch? ›

In other words, if you don't heat your cornstarch to a high enough temperature, your mixture will never thicken. But once your liquid has boiled, lower the heat and don't return it to a simmer—you'll risk destroying the starch molecules and ending up with a thin mixture yet again.

Why is my taco soup so watery? ›

Addition of Cornstarch or Flour: Create a slurry by mixing equal parts cornstarch or flour with water. Stir this mixture into the soup and let it simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.

Does adding water to soup make it less spicy? ›

Dilute It. Another simple way to temper something spicy is to dilute it. This can be done by adding more of the non-spicy ingredients to a dish (like vegetables, grains, meat or broth) or even just by adding water to thin it out.

What cancels out spicy taste? ›

Sweet Defeats Heat

Adding something sweet to a too-spicy dish is another great way to reduce spiciness. A sprinkle of sugar or honey should do the trick. Or add a touch of sweet ketchup. If it's a tomato-based sauce, stir in a little more tomato sauce and maybe a touch of sugar.

What is the secret to soup? ›

7 Tips for Successful Soup Making
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. It is worth investing in a heavy pot with a thick bottom to use for making soup. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

How do you make soup taste richer? ›

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

What spices are good in soup? ›

To season it, we recommend starting with our Vegetable Soup Mix. It contains celery salt, parsley flakes, garlic powder, sea salt, summer savory, marjoram, thyme, black pepper, turmeric and sage, which are all excellent with root vegetables, so you can incorporate things like carrots or potatoes into the soup.

How do you thicken taco soup without cornstarch? ›

Whisking beurre manié (butter-flour paste) into simmering soup is the best way to thicken an otherwise too-watery soup. Add bits of the paste gradually and simmer to cook out any raw flour taste. The broth will be velvety smooth, rich, and thick.

What can you use instead of flour to thicken soup? ›

If you're looking for an alternative to flour in your soup and stew recipes, these four ingredients can act as a thickening agent.
  • Grated Potato. For each cup of soup or stew, add about 3 tablespoons of thinly grated potato during the last 15 minutes of your soup's cooking time. ...
  • Egg Yolk. ...
  • Starch Thickener. ...
  • Blended Soup.
Aug 4, 2012

What can I use instead of thickening agent in soup? ›

5 Best Cornstarch Substitutes
  • All-Purpose Flour. Yep, that's right — all-purpose flour is a very stable thickener. ...
  • Arrowroot Powder. If you happen to have this starch on hand, you're in luck: It has the same thickening power as cornstarch, and it creates a beautiful, shiny sauce. ...
  • Potato Starch. ...
  • Rice Flour. ...
  • Tapioca Starch.
Jun 23, 2023

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