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 Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: beef taco soup, best taco soup recipe, easy taco soup, quick and easy taco soup, taco soup, taco soup ingredients, taco soup with ground beef
Servings: 12
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
3tablespoonsolive oil
1medium yellow oniondiced small
1poundlean ground beefI used 85% lean
1medium red bell pepperdiced small
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced or pressed
1jalapeno pepperfinely diced; optional (remove seeds to reduce the heat)
4ouncecan diced green chiles or fire-roasted green chilesoptional
3tablespoonschili powder*See Notes
2teaspoonscumin*
1teaspoondried Mexican oregano or regular dried oregano*
two 15-ounce can black beansdrained and rinsed (I used no salt added)
2 to 4ouncestomato pasteoptional for a thicker soup (more like chili)
1 to 1 ½cupscornfrozen, canned and drained, or freshly shaved
2 to 3tablespoonslime juice
⅓cupfinely minced fresh cilantroor to taste; plus more for garnishing if desired
2 to 4teaspoonsKosher saltor to taste**
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
½teaspoongranulated sugaroptional
Red onionoptional for garnishing and to taste
Avocadooptional for garnishing
Cotijapanela, or a shredded Mexican cheese blend, optional for garnishing
Sour creamoptional for garnishing
Tortilla strips or chipsoptional 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!