Taco Soup Recipe: Easy One-Pot Pantry Dinner

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes | Additional: 0 minutes | Total: 40 minutes | Servings: 6 | Yield: About 10 cups | Difficulty: Easy | Cuisine: Tex-Mex | Category: Soup, Dinner

Intro

Taco soup brings ground beef, beans, corn, and tomatoes together in a brothy one-pot dinner. Chili powder and cumin give it familiar taco flavor, while two kinds of beans make each bowl hearty. This recipe uses pantry spices instead of ranch dressing mix, so you can control the salt and heat without opening several seasoning packets.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Mostly canned and frozen ingredients mean very little chopping.

No ranch packet is needed, and the heat stays adjustable.

Beans and beef make a substantial dinner that reheats well for lunch.

Recipe Card

Hannah Brooks

Taco Soup

This one-pot taco soup combines ground beef, two kinds of beans, corn, and tomatoes in a lightly spicy broth. Pantry spices build the flavor without a ranch packet.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings (about 10 cups total)

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Calories: 400

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
• 1 cup yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder mild American spice blend
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 15-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles mild, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Equipment

• 1 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot
• 1 Instant-read thermometer

Method

 

1. Cook the 90% lean ground beef in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until browned and cooked to 160°F.
2. Spoon off excess rendered fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
3. Add the yellow onion and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened.
4. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
5. Stir in the black beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, frozen corn, low-sodium beef broth, fine salt, and ground black pepper.
6. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the yellow onion is tender and the broth is flavorful.
7. Divide the soup among 6 bowls and serve hot.

Notes

Use mild diced tomatoes with green chiles for gentle heat. American chili powder is a seasoning blend, not pure ground hot chile. Estimated nutrition per one-sixth of the recipe: about 400 calories, 29 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat, 12 g fiber; toppings excluded. Yield is approximate.

Taco Soup Recipe Tips

Use a 6-quart pot so there is room to stir without splashing. Browning beef in a small saucepan traps steam and slows the process.

Drain and rinse the beans, but keep the juices from both cans of tomatoes. That liquid helps form the broth.

Taste the broth near the end. If it needs more heat, add a pinch of cayenne to your own bowl instead of making the entire pot hotter.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do not use pure hot chile powder in place of the mild American chili powder blend at the same quantity. The soup can become much hotter than intended.

Do not drain the tomatoes, or the broth will be less full-flavored and the yield will shrink.

Do not simmer until the broth disappears. This is soup, so stop while it still ladles easily.

Variations

For turkey taco soup, replace the ground beef with 1 pound ground turkey and add 1 tablespoon oil if the pot is dry. Cook the turkey to 165°F.

For a meatless version, omit the beef, sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon oil, use vegetable broth, and add another drained 15-ounce can of beans.

For a thicker bowl, mash 1/2 cup of the beans with some broth before adding them. If you prefer an oven-baked beef dinner another night, try the cheesy ground beef and rice casserole.

What to Serve With It

Set out shredded cheddar, sour cream, and tortilla chips for optional toppings. For a game-day menu, offer smaller cups of soup beside loaded sheet pan nachos. A small portion of crunchy Italian grinder chopped salad gives a cool contrast to the warm broth. Find more options in the recipe index.

Storage

Refrigerate in shallow covered containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below and use within 3 to 4 days. See USDA leftover-storage guidance. Freeze without toppings for up to 3 months for best quality. Portion into individual containers after cooling promptly.

Reheating

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight if frozen. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup boils and reaches 165°F throughout. Add water a tablespoon at a time if the beans have absorbed some broth.

Make Ahead

Chop the onion and measure the spices up to 1 day ahead. You can also cook the complete soup up to 2 days before serving; refrigerate it promptly and keep toppings separate until the bowls are filled.

FAQs

Can I make taco soup without ranch seasoning?

Yes. Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, onion, and garlic provide the seasoning in this recipe.

Do I drain the beans for taco soup?

Drain and rinse both cans of beans. Keep the liquid from the tomatoes and the tomatoes with green chiles.

How do I make taco soup less spicy?

Choose mild tomatoes with green chiles and a mild American chili powder blend. Serve hot sauce separately. Dairy toppings can soften the heat in individual bowls.

Can I use taco seasoning instead of the spices?

Use a packet meant for 1 pound of meat in place of the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Omit the added salt initially because packets vary in sodium.