Next time your family wants taco night, make this easy taco soup recipe. It has all of the zesty flavors of freshly made ground beef tacos but comes in the form of a hearty soup. It's one of those easy stovetop soup recipes that the whole family will love.
Why I love this recipe
- Uses mostly pantry staples
- Perfect for busy weeknights
- Satisfies any taco craving
Ingredients needed to make taco soup
The exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here are the main ingredients for your shopping list.
- ground beef
- homemade taco seasoning (or store bought)
- chicken broth
- black beans
- pinto beans
- canned diced and fire-roasted tomatoes (i.e. Rotel tomatoes)
- tomato sauce
- corn
- roasted green chile
How to make taco soup
Step 1: Cook ground beef
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the onion. Continue to stir to break up the meat and promote even cooking. When most of the liquid has burned off and the meat starts to brown and stick to the bottom, add the taco seasoning. Stir well to combine and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 2: Deglaze pan
Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a flat-bottomed spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen anything that may have stuck.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir well to combine. Soup is ready to eat when everything is heated through. For even better results, bring the soup to a very gentle simmer, cover it, then reduce the heat to the lowest amount where it can still maintain a gentle simmer, and continue cooking longer to allow the flavors to develop.
Favorite toppings
This soup is fantastic on its own, but I think we can all agree that the toppings are what take it above and beyond.
Your favorite taco toppings are what you'll want to use to top this soup. Some suggestions include a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla strips or corn chips, avocado, sliced radishes, diced red onion, green chiles, pico de gallo, and/or fresh cilantro. A few lime wedges on the side are great too!
Modifications and substitutions
- Ground turkey can be used in place of ground beef. Diced chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken work as well, but at that point, the recipe is basically chicken tortilla soup.
- Beef broth or vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken broth.
- Kidney beans can be used in place of either black or pinto beans.
Storage and reheating
Leftover taco soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It's best if used within 3-5 days.
This soup also freezes extremely well. Simply place cooled leftover soup in a freezer-safe container. Freezer bags or plastic quart-sized individual containers both work great. It should last a good six months in the freezer.
To reheat, place thawed soup in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until heated through. Alternatively, you can place it in a covered bowl in the microwave and heat in one-minute increments.
Best taco recipes
If you love the flavor of ground beef tacos, you'll love these recipes.
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Taco Soup (Easy Stovetop Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning (more if desired)
- 6 cups chicken broth (can increase it to 8 cups if you like extra broth)
- 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 15 ounce can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
- 14 ½ ounce can diced and fire roasted tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cups frozen corn (roasted corn recommended)
- ½ cup roasted green chile (more if you like it spicy)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (add more after tasting, if desired)
- top with sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, avocado, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro
Instructions
- Cook ground beef: In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the onion. Continue to stir to break up the meat and promote even cooking. When most of the liquid has burned off and the meat starts to brown and stick to the bottom, add the taco seasoning. Stir well to combine and cook for a few more minutes.
- Deglaze pan: Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a flat-bottomed spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen anything that may have stuck.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the remaining ingredients (except for the topping recommendations) to the pot. Stir well to combine. Soup is ready to eat when everything is heated through. For even better results, bring the soup to a very gentle simmer, cover it, then reduce the heat to the lowest amount where it can still maintain a gentle simmer, and continue cooking longer to allow the flavors to develop.
- Serve: To serve, ladle portions into bowls and top with sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro.
Jacqueline
This is the perfect recipe for cold weather taco Tuesdays! All the flavours in a hearty and warming soup!
Kushigalu
How refreshing and delicious is this taco soup? Thanks a lot for sharing
Ned
Oh my this is seriously the best soup ever! So easy to make and heats up well for leftovers for the next few days. Thank you!
Mimi
Truly the best taco soup I have ever had. Looking forward to making it again. Thanks for your recipe.
Sharon
This soup has the best of both worlds, a hearty and cozy soup base with the taco flavor I love!