Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup

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Zoup! Specialty Products provided me with product for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup — Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Quick & Easy Taco Soup Recipe

Calling all taco lovers, this is like eating tacos in soup form! This beef taco soup is easy to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

The longest part of it will be chopping the veggies and opening up the various canned goods – summon those kids and kitchen helpers! But once it’s in the pot it comes together so quickly.

The layers and depth of Mexican-inspired flavors are so wonderful that you’re going to be surprised you made it in less than a half hour.

From the chili powder, cumin, and oregano-scented ground beef to the black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and more, taco soup is going become a family favorite sure to go on rotation especially during the winter months!

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Taco Soup Ingredients

To make this easy taco soup that’s ready before you know it, you’ll need the following commonly found ingredients.

Yes, there are quite a few ingredients, but all of the ingredients have a purpose to provide layers of rich flavor.

So get out the following:

  • Olive oil
  • Yellow onion
  • Ground beef
  • Red bell pepper
  • Garlic
  • Jalapeno pepper, optional
  • Canned diced green chiles or fire-roasted green chiles, optional
  • Spices (chili powder, cumin, dried oregano)
  • Canned diced tomatoes
  • Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

  • Canned black beans
  • Tomato paste, optional
  • Corn
  • Lime juice
  • Cilantro
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Granulated sugar, optional

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

How to Make Taco Soup

To a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil, yellow onion, and saute for a few minutes before adding the ground beef and browning it with the onion.

After the beef has browned, add the red pepper and stir to combine. Add the garlic, optional jalapeno and optional green chiles if you want more heat, and cook momentarily until the garlic is fragrant.

Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, and oregano over the top and stir to evenly coat before adding the canned tomatoes, Zoup! Good, Really Good®, black beans, optional tomato paste if you want a thicker soup, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Add the corn and stir to combine before adding the lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

I added a pinch of sugar because anytime I’m making soup with a large amount of tomatoes, a tiny pinch cuts the acidity of the tomatoes but it’s optional.

Garnish your soup with whatever floats your boat including avocado, cheese, red onions, cilantro, or sour cream and get ready to slurp away!

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

What Kind of Broth is Best for Taco Soup?

For this savory and comforting soup, I used Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth.

For a spicier soup you can feel free to use Zoup! Good, Really Good® Spicy Chicken Bone Broth. It will kick things up a notch for you!

The Zoup! Good, Really Good® Broth lineup includes new seafood broth and new spicy chicken bone broth, original and low sodium chicken broth, veggie broth, chicken and beef bone broth, plus certified organic chicken and veggie broth.

Zoup! is also introducing Culinary Concentrates, a super-premium, gourmet broth concentrate lineup available in chicken, beef and savory vegan.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

You could also use Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Broth in place of the Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth if you have it on hand instead.

For those wanting to make a meatless or vegetarian version of taco soup, you can use Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth and I’ll explain more below how to keep this soup meatless.

It’s nice to know that Zoup! Broth products are kettle cooked in small batches using the freshest and finest ingredients. They have a complex, yet balanced flavor and I really appreciate the homemade taste.

They’re low in calories, paleo-friendly, and completely free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, hormones, gluten, GMO’s, fat, trans fat and saturated fat, and were developed by a 20+ year soup industry veteran and the team behind Zoup! Eatery.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

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Visit ZoupBroth.com to learn more and follow @ZoupGoodReallyGood on Facebook and Instagram and @ZoupGoodReallyGoodBroth on Pinterest.

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This is valid for 30 days and is good for 20% off a one-time Zoup! Broth order on Amazon. Enter the code at checkout, right before you provide your credit card info, there is a little box where you can enter the discount code.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Can This Recipe Be Made Vegetarian? 

In general, soup recipes are super flexible. You can vary the vegetables used, the type of broth or stock used, as well as the proteins.

If you’d like to make a vegetarian or vegan taco soup, in place of the ground beef, simply omit it and add another can of beans such as pinto, kidney, or just more black beans.

You can also add cooked black lentils or even a meat-alternative type product. There are lots out there these days.

And as I mentioned, use Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth in place of the other varieties.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Can I Use Another Type of Meat? 

Of course! I made this taco soup with ground beef, but you’re welcome to use ground turkey, chicken, or another protein of choice. 

Taco Soup Topping Ideas

Top your bowl of ground beef taco soup with your favorite Mexican garnishes! Here are my suggestions: 

  • Red onion
  • Avocado
  • Cotija, panela, or a shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • Sour cream
  • Tortilla strips or chips

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Recipe Variations to Try

The sky is the limit with regard to how much you can mix and match ingredients for this soup!

  • Because we like spicier soup, I used both a fresh jalapeno and fire-roasted green chiles but you can omit one or both if you don’t want the heat. However actually the soup was still pretty mild because neither are known for their firepower.
  • To kick things us, use a serrano chile rather than jalapeno or a couple pinches of cayenne pepper.
  • Rather than using a red bell pepper, try orange, yellow, or green.
  • If you’d like to try another animal-based protein, both ground turkey or ground chicken will work in place of ground beef.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

How to Store Taco Soup

This recipe makes a decent sized batch of soup, about 10 to 12 smaller “soup bowl” sized bowls, or about 6 to 8 bigger meal-sized portions but everyone’s appetites vary.

Taco soup will keep for 5 to 7 days airtight in the fridge. I find the soup gets even better tasting as time passes since the flavors marry together more.

Can Taco Soup Be Frozen?

Yes, soups in general freeze very well in case you don’t need all the soup, all at once.

My recommendation is to freeze individual-sized portions in freezer-safe containers. It makes it easier and faster to thaw when you’re working with single-serving portions.

Plus as an added bonus, you’ll have a few weeknight dinner waiting for you on those days where you’re too busy or too tired to cook.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Tips For The Best Taco Soup

Work ahead as the soup cooks: This recipe is totally do-able in 30 minutes but it does have a fair amount of ingredients to chop. Always work ahead with your dicing and chopping.

For example, when the onion is browning, start dicing the red pepper. When the beef is browning, move on to dicing and seeding the jalapeno or start opening cans and set them aside so everything is ready to add when needed.

While the soup is simmering, mince the cilantro, juice your limes, and so forth. Working ahead is definitely advisable here.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Season to taste: Because there’s a large Dutch oven of soup to flavor, I made sure to season and salt the soup to our taste preferences.

One of the reasons soup in restaurants is so good is because they’re not shy with the salt. If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, dull, or just not quite right, add more salt is my advice.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

I started with 2 teaspoons and then 1 more, and 1 more until it was just right with some generous twists of freshly ground black pepper.

Depending on your taste preferences, you may want to add more or less salt and pepper than I did.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup – Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Add more or less spice: Likewise, when you’re adding the chili pepper, cumin, and oregano, add them to taste.

The amounts I call for are what we like and they’re on the bolder side — not spicy but rather big and bold. If you like things less so, then add less.

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup - Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!

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4.84 from 6 votes

Easy 30-Minute Taco Soup

By Averie Sunshine
Taco lovers are going to love this beef taco soup which is like eating tacos but in soup form! Layers of Mexican-inspired flavors in this comforting and hearty yet healthy soup that will become a family FAVORITE! Fast, easy, one pot, and perfect for busy weeknights!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients  

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, I used 85% lean
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
  • 3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced; optional (remove seeds to reduce the heat)
  • 4 ounce can diced green chiles or fire-roasted green chiles, optional
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder*, See Notes
  • 2 teaspoons cumin*
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or regular dried oregano*
  • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
  • 32 ounces Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth
  • two 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used no salt added)
  • 2 to 4 ounces tomato paste, optional for a thicker soup (more like chili)
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups corn, frozen, canned and drained, or freshly shaved
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • â…“ cup finely minced fresh cilantro, or to taste; plus more for garnishing if desired
  • 2 to 4 teaspoons Kosher salt, or to taste**
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, optional
  • Red onion, optional for garnishing and to taste
  • Avocado, optional for garnishing
  • Cotija, panela, or a shredded Mexican cheese blend, optional for garnishing
  • Sour cream, optional for garnishing
  • Tortilla strips or chips, optional for garnishing or dipping

Instructions 

  • To a large Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil yellow onion, and sauté for a few minutes over medium-high heat before adding the ground beef.
  • Brown the ground beef with the onion, stirring intermittently to ensure even cooking. Tip (See Notes for more tips) - Work ahead chopping and dicing the remaining veggies while beef is browning.
  • Add the red pepper, garlic, optional jalapeno, optional green chiles, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
  • Evenly sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and stir to combine.
  • Add the tomatoes, Zoup! Good, Really Good® Chicken Bone Broth, beans, optional tomato paste (some or all of a small can), stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Allow soup to boil fairly rapidly, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the corn, stir to combine, and allow mixture to boil once again for a minute or two.
  • Turn the heat off, add the lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, stir to combine, and taste the soup. Make sure to add salt to taste, and likely add more if you only started with 2 teaspoons. Also consider adding additional chile powder, cumin, or oregano if you started with lesser quantities than indicated.
  • If the soup has a "bite" so to speak, what you're likely tasting is the acidity from the large quantity of tomatoes and other acidic ingredients. Optionally consider adding the 1/2 teaspoon sugar. It does not make the soup sweet but rather balances the flavor profile similar to how many cooks add a pinch of sugar to spaghetti or pasta sauce.
  • Optionally garnish with your favorites and serve. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days and I find tastes better as time passes as the flavors marry. Soup will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 4 months. I recommend freezing it in individual-sized freezer-safe containers and thawing on the counter and reheating gently in the microwave.

Notes

*If you are sensitive to spices, halve the written amount of chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and at the end, if your soup doesn't have enough flavor or oomph to it, you can always increase the amounts. As written this is a fairly boldly flavored soup; not spicy, but richly and boldly flavored; always season to your own taste preferences remembering you can always add more later but can't take it away.
**If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, dull, or just not quite right, add more salt is my advice. I started with 2 teaspoons and then 1 more, and 1 more until it was just right with some generous twists of freshly ground black pepper. Depending on your taste preferences, you may want to add more or less salt and pepper than I did. I also find the pinch of sugar to be instrumental to balance the acidity from the tomatoes and other acidic ingredients.
Tips - This recipe is totally do-able in 30 minutes but it does have a fair amount of ingredients to chop and prep. Always work ahead with your dicing and chopping. For example, when the onion is browning, start dicing the red pepper. When the beef is browning, move on to dicing and seeding the jalapeno or start opening cans and set them aside so everything is ready to add when needed. While the soup is simmering, mince the cilantro, juice your limes, etc. Working ahead is definitely advisable here!

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 352kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 1101mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hey Averie,
    I just wanted to say the taco soup was great! Your instructions were written well, which I REALLY appreciate! I especially like the tips. Many recipes online don’t tell you “you’re gonna be doing a lot of chopping!” and YOURS did. It’s very helpful when looking at all the recipes and thinking about the time factor.
    So…thank you for great recipes with good instruction and tips!

    Love it !
    Larry Vaught

  2. 5 stars
    Hey Averie,
    I just wanted to say the taco soup was great! Your instructions were written well, which I REALLY appreciate! I especially like the tips. Many recipes online don’t tell you “you’re gonna be doing a lot of chopping!” and YOURS did. It’s very helpful when looking at all the recipes and thinking about the time factor.
    So…thank you for great recipes with good instruction and tips!

    Love it !
    Larry Vaught

    1. Thanks, Larry, for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and I am so glad that my tips helped and that the soup was great. All the best!

  3. Hi Averie, This looks so good. I printed the recipe and will be making it tonight for dinner. I look forward to sharing a comment. I am surprised there’s none.