Taco Soup
Fall has definitely settled in to Chicago. There’s a chill in the air. At least enough of one to make soup. I love soup. Wait, I should take that back. I love hearty chunky soups. Pureed soups are OK. But hearty chunky soups—they make my fall and winter go round.
We have a couple soups up our sleeve, but taco soup is one of our faves. Typically, because we have everything on hand to make it. It’s time you know—I’m not much of a meal planner. A couple posts ago, I told you that I love routine, which I do. But I also love organized spontaneity. Oxymoron, I know. Here’s how it works—I love routine, but I hate meal planning. It’s a little too planned for me. Make sense? I didn’t think so. But somehow it works for us. So, everyday I come home from work to scavenge the fridge and cupboards (such an old school term, but we don’t have a pantry) in hopes that an idea for dinner will pop into my head.
When taco soup comes to mind, I feel like a genius. Now that’s organized spontaneity. Talk about fun! Hmm…maybe I should get out more.
Hearty, chunky, quick, easy, healthy. Those are just some of the reasons we love this soup. But the best thing about this soup—it’s forgiving. It doesn’t matter if I’m on my A-game or B-game. This soup always has a way of tasting delish.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown ground beef.
- Meanwhile, add garlic, onion, and bell peppers to a stock pot. Saute with olive oil for 5-8 minutes. Salt to taste.
- Add tomato sauce, chicken stock, corn, beans, and meat to stock pot. Stir. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, cilantro, and sugar. Add salt and Sriracha to taste. Stir.
- Taste and add more spices if needed. (I tend to cook with my taste buds.)
- Allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Garnish and serve. (We garnish with pita chips and cheese. And on a good day, we add avocado.)
Notes
• If you are making this vegetarian style, add more veggies and beans to compensate for the lack of meat or reduce the amount of tomato sauce. Also, if you like your soup more soupy than hearty, add more chicken/vegetable stock to thin it out.
Um, yes. I could seriously snorkel in this bowl.
Great soup for fall and winter! Love the avocado on top!
Ohhh, see this right here get’s me all excited for cold weather. Perfect for “football Sundays” at my house!
Minus the ground beef (veggie), I’m loving this recipe!
I forgot to mention, this totally works for vegetarians minus the beef and chicken stock (sub vegetable stock).
This is one of my go to meals because it’s so easy and everyone loves it! Where in Chicago do you live? One of my best friends moved there a few years ago!
No way! I am in Oak Park, just west of the city.
Oh goodness, this looks delicious. I love how thick the soup is!
Just made it vegetarian style! delicious! but going to use less tomato sauce next time
Looks good for a cool-rainy night, which would be tonight based on the forecast. And I do believe I have all the ingredients in the kitchen-major plus, no trip to the store!
I’m a big fan of ‘organized spontaneity’ myself. Also, this soup looks delicious and I am SO excited I just discovered your fantastic blog.
Likewise! Glad I found you too!
Oh. My. God. I have only just discovered this today. How could I have missed THIS!?! Taco soup looks perfect!!! And, as the weather starts to warm here in Adelaide it would go perfectly alongside a chilled beer for dinner sitting on the porch enjoying the warm spring evenings.
Thankyou!!!!
I made this tonight and it was fabulous!! I doubled the meat and added some hot salsa to it instead of the sriracha. It turned out a bit more like a chili – it was yummy!! Can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow
It’s definitely my new favorite fall/winter soup!
I’ve had this recipe saved for a while and finally made it tonight and am SO glad I did! It turned out awesome! I left out the meat and subbed vegetable stock for chicken stock and it worked beautifully
I also used 2 – pint jars of tomatoes I canned in the summer instead of the tomato sauce. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll be saving it and making it again… very soon! 
[...] me know what you think!!! If you want better photos, head on over to http://thefauxmartha.com/2011/09/22/taco-soup/, the true originator of the recipe. [...]
[...] me know what you think!!! If you want better photos, head on over to http://thefauxmartha.com/2011/09/22/taco-soup/, the true originator of the recipe. [...]
[...] Taco Soup I followed the recipe minus the ingredients I did not have. I find chili flakes work very well for us as a heat provider, and I prefer its taste to chili powders and hot sauces. I love making a salsa to go on top of this soup – ours was chopped avocado, lots of lime juice, freshly ground sea salt and chopped coriander. The soup has a lovely undertone of sweetness, and the lime is a nice fresh burst on top of that. [...]
[...] Taco soup [...]
All your recipes easy to prepare! Fun to prepare all your recipes. Well done