Easy Taco Soup
This taco soup is the best comfort food and so easy to make! Hearty and flavorful, it’s made with ground beef, beans, corn and spices.
Your Favorite Taco Flavors in an Easy Taco Soup
This taco soup combines two of my favorites, tacos and soup, into one delicious, warming meal. This soup has a similar flavor profile spice-wise to my favorite chili recipe, but it’s not quite as thick as a chili would be.
I love that this taco soup recipe is loaded with healthy veggies (corn, bell pepper and onions!), beans, and diced green chiles as well as taco seasoning spices for lots of flavor. It’s pure comfort food and perfect for serving with a salad or cornbread for an easy dinner on a cold day.
How to Make Taco Soup
This stove top recipe is easily adaptable to make it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. I’ve included directions for both below.
Sauté veggies and brown the beef. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, cook the onion and bell pepper for a few minutes. Then add the ground beef and cook it until browned. Finally, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth, water, diced green chiles, black beans, kidney beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, paprika, dried oregano and salt.
Simmer taco soup. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook at a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with toppings! I love to top my bowl of taco soup with shredded cheese, diced avocado and crumbled tortilla chips. You could also serve it with a spoonful of sour cream, chopped red or green onions or fresh cilantro.
Recipe Variations
- Meat: Ground turkey or ground chicken can be used instead of ground beef. (See my Turkey Taco Soup recipe.)
- Vegetarian: Omit the ground beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth. You could add diced sweet potato to bulk up the soup more. I’d add it with the onion and bell pepper.
- Crockpot: Complete the first few steps of the recipe in a skillet on the stove: sauté onion and bell pepper, brown the meat, and stir in the garlic. Then transfer to a slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Instant Pot: Use the Instant Pot sauté function to cook the onion and bell pepper and brown the meat. Then add the broth and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the tomatoes, corn and beans. Add the tomatoes, corn and beans last, on top of the other ingredients, and do not stir. Pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth, or low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup water
- 7 ounce can mild diced green chiles, with liquid from the can
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can corn, drained, or 1 ½ cups frozen corn
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Optional toppings for serving, such as: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red or green onion, etc.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat, until the beef is browned and vegetables have softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, water, diced green chiles, black beans, kidney beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, paprika, dried oregano and salt. Stir.
- Bring the soup to a simmer and then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve, with toppings as desired.
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for the ground beef.
- Vegetarian: Omit the ground beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth. You could add diced sweet potato to bulk up the soup more. I’d add it when sautéing the onion and bell pepper.
- Crockpot Instructions: Complete the first few steps of the recipe in a skillet on the stove: sauté onion and bell pepper, brown the meat, and stir in the garlic. Then transfer to a slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Instant Pot Instructions: Use the Instant Pot sauté function to cook the onion and bell pepper and brown the meat. Then add the broth and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the tomatoes, corn and beans. Add the tomatoes, corn and beans last, on top of the other ingredients, and do not stir. Pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
