Taco Soup Recipe

Name: Taco Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium onion (peeled and diced); 1 lb. lean ground beef; 2 cans pinto beans, drained (15 oz. cans); 1 can yellow corn kernels (drained); 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (15 oz. can); 2 tablespoons taco seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 1/2 cups beef broth or water; 1 teaspoon dried Parsley flakes (optional); 1/4 cup sour cream (optional); 1/2 cup Shredded cheese (optional); 2 whole Hard taco shells cooked & crumbled, Frito chips, or corn tortillas, sliced and cooked (optional)

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Only 30 minutes to make this homecooked meal. If you love tacos you will love this easy homemade soup recipe.

Taco soup is a hearty beef based soup made with ground beef, pinto beans, corn and diced tomatoes and is seasoned with taco seasoning. Enjoy a bowl of this taco flavored soup recipe you can make in half and hour!

Overhead image of a bowl of Taco soup with toppings.

Ground beef and beef broth is seasoned with all your favorite taco flavors like chili powder, cumin, and paprika.

This easy soup recipe also has canned pinto beans, corn, onion and fire roasted diced tomatoes.

You can add your favorite taco toppings to your bowl and top it off with tortilla chips or strips, to add a crunchy salty flavor.

Put a twist on Taco Tuesday and make this easy soup recipe packed with the flavors of tacos.

Taco Soup with toppings in a white glass bowl.

Ingredients

Simple basic taco ingredients are simmers together to make a delicious bowl of Taco Soup.

olive oil, butter or oil of choice.
onion: white, yellow or red onion.
meat: I used lean ground beef to make this recipe but you could also use ground chicken or ground pork to make it.
canned beans: I used pinto beans, or you can use cannellini beans or light red kidney beans
canned vegetables: yellow corn kernels and fire roasted diced tomatoes
taco seasoning: I used my Gourmet Taco Seasoning mix (coming to the shop soon) You can use an envelope of store bought taco seasoning.
seasoning: salt and ground black pepper to taste
liquids: I used beef broth which gives this soup recipe a great flavor or you can use water
optional toppings: you can use any of your favorite taco toppings to garnish a bowl of this soup. Dried parsley (I used my dehydrated parsley) , sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, hard taco shells cooked and crumbled, Frito chips, or corn tortillas sliced and cooked until crispy in the air fryer.

Directions

Step 1: Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add the ground beef to the pot. Brown the ground beef until cooked through. Carefully pour the meat into a colander and drain the grease.

Browned ground beef with onions drained in a Dutch oven.

Step 3: Add the drained beans, drained corn and undrained canned diced tomatoes to the pot.

Dutch oven with ground beef, beans, corn and tomatoes for Taco chili.

Step 4: Season the soup: Add the taco seasoning, salt and pepper to the pot.

Adding taco seasonings to the soup ingredients in a Dutch oven on a burner.

Step 5: Pour the beef broth or water over the soup ingredients. Stir with a large spoon to combine.

Step 6: Cook the soup: bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 20 or 30 minutes or until piping hot.

A serving of taco soup in a white bowl with a napkin and spoon besides it.

To serve: serve the soup in a bowl and top each serving with your favorite taco toppings.

Two servings of taco soup with small bowl of toppings.

Topping Suggestions

shredded cheese of choice
sour cream
pickled jalapeno peppers (I used homemade)
crispy corn chips

Taco soup in a bowl with small bowl of cheese, jalapenos, and chips.

Recipe FAQs

What do you have with taco soup?

Taco soup is delicious when you top a bowl with shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa and spicy jalapenos. You can also serve it with corn bread, a crusty bread or corn tortilla chips.

How do you thicken taco soup?

Taco seasoning used to make Taco soup usually has a thickener in it. If you like your soup broth thicker you can mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 2 tablespoon of water and add it to the pot as it is cooking to make it the soup broth thicker.

How do you make soup thick and creamy?

Corn starch and water is my favorite soup thickener. It will thicken the soup and not change the flavor. Mix equal parts corn starch and water until dissolved. Add it to the soup and bring it to a boil.

Expert Recipe Tips

Cooking method: If you are in a hurry you can make this taco soup on the stove in a heavy bottomed pot or a Dutch oven like I did today. This soup recipe can easily convert to a slow cooker recipe.
What type of beans? You can use pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans for this recipe.
Broth: This soup is meant to be hearty and chunky with a small amount of broth. You can add more broth if you like.