Taco Soup

This wonderful EASY soup was made for us by my sweet daughter in law. She doubled the recipe since she knew the whole gang was coming! :) This is a big challenge for my dear daughter in laws since they are only cooking for their families of 3! She gladly took the challenge and we had a great time fellowshipping and eating this wonderful soup.

So onto the Taco Soup...I am actually going to give you two recipes. The first one will be the fast/easy way to make this great soup. The second will be for those who want to make things from scratch, still great but not quite so easy.

Fast/Easy Taco Soup
1# ground beef (brown)
1 package taco seasoning
1 can corn (drained)
2 cans pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing

Garnish with shredded cheese and taco chips

Brown the ground beef. Add taco seasoning, corn, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Stir in salad dressing mix. Heat through. Garnish with shredded cheese and chips. Serves 6-8.


Made from scratch Taco Soup. (Still wonderful but a little more work!)
1# ground beef (browned)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 can corn (drained)
4 cups cooked pinto beans drained
3 diced Rome tomatoes*
2 cups chicken broth**
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch

Add the ingredients in the same order as above.

*Rome tomatoes are the best for this type soup as you want a more meaty type tomato. You will also want to cook the diced tomatoes with the hamburger meat. Add the tomatoes to the ground beef when the the meat is almost browned and slightly pink. This will allow the tomatoes to cook without mixing in the raw meat stage.

**A good way to have fresh chicken broth is to boil chicken bones with lots of water, 2 celery stalks, 1 carrot and small onion. You would strain the broth and then freeze the chicken broth liquid. Freezing the broth in muffin tins will make it easy to have measured amounts ready for your cooking. You would have fresh chicken broth for multiple recipes. You don't have to use the carrots/celery/onion but does add more flavor.