Taco Soup (Best Recipe)

This taco soup is hearty, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to whip up.

Its easy-to-follow recipe guides you through a quick, delicious, and effortless experience. And the family will love it.

And the result is sure to impress everyone at the table. (And you won’t even break a sweat!)

You can whip this simple soup recipe up in a single pot, and it requires just a few simple ingredients.

It’s flavorful and filling, perfect for the cooler months of the year. 

You’ll savor every bite of this Mexican-inspired taco soup.

Taco Soup

When I was young, taco soup was a Sunday dinner staple at my grandma’s house.

We had it at least one Sunday a month, maybe more. It tasted so good, and I always went back for a second helping.

Today, I still make this delicious soup for my own family. And the best part is, it’s ready in 30 minutes or less.

This comforting soup packs a wallop of South of the Border flavor.

It’s hearty, healthy, and an easy favorite with everyone at the table. 

Try it for your own family and see for yourself. Serve it with corn chips, Mexican cornbread, or a plethora of optional toppings.

Either way, your family will love it as much as mine does. 

Ingredients 

The ingredients list for this may seem a little long, but it’s actually not that bad, especially for soup. Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Ground beef. Use lean ground beef for the best results. Ground turkey is another option. 

• Beans. You need a can each of chili beans and pinto beans. The recipe calls for mild chili beans, but you can use hot ones instead.
  • Drain and rinse the pintos, but leave the chili beans undrained. The beans bring plenty of heartiness to the soup. 

• Corn. Corn adds a little sweetness to the soup. It also brings more chunkiness and texture. 

• Tomatoes and chiles. You use plenty of these in this recipe. Stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel), and chopped green chiles all appear on the ingredients list. 
  • Don’t shirk on these, as they provide a ton of flavor. 

• Taco seasoning and ranch salad dressing mix. The ranch is a little strange, I know. But it pairs well with taco seasoning. You add that once the meat is fully browned. 
  • Save the ranch mix for later, though. You won’t add it until after you add all the other ingredients.

See? It’s not so bad after all! I’ll bet you have a few of those things already sitting in your pantry. 

How to Make Taco Soup 

This recipe breaks down into three simple steps. 

1. Brown and season the ground beef. Cook the ground beef by itself. Once it’s fully browned, drain the pot. Then, add the taco seasoning. 

2. Add everything else. Next, you add everything else to the pot. Pay close attention to which canned goods should be drained. 

Bring the soup to a boil before reducing the heat. 

3. Simmer and serve. Let the soup simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes or so. Once everything is heated through, it’s time to serve. Top it with whatever toppings you like, and enjoy! 

Tips for the Best Taco Soup 

Keep these tips in mind for the best taco soup: 

• Don’t be afraid to tweak the soup’s consistency. It’s unlikely that you’ll need to make it thicker. It’s pretty chunky. However, you can add more beans and veggies if you do want a thicker soup. 

To make it thinner, add extra water or some broth. 

• Adjust the spice level to suit your tastes. You can use hot chili beans and hot Rotel if you like. You can also add a dash of cayenne or some chopped jalapenos for extra heat.

• Add peppers. You can still add peppers even if you don’t want spicy soup. Add some green or red bell peppers for extra flavor. 

• Pay attention to the ingredients list. Some of the canned ingredients need to be drained, and others don’t. 

Pay special attention to these notes to prevent your soup from being too watery.

Don’t forget to add plenty of yummy toppings, too! We’ll talk about those next. 

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love

7-Can Soup
Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Chick-fil-A Tortilla Soup
Hot and Sour Chicken Soup
Italian Sausage Soup

Toppings & Variations

This soup tastes great with crushed corn chips or tortilla chips in lieu of crackers. Crumbling some Mexican cornbread into it isn’t a bad idea, either.

Other topping options include:

• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Pico de gallo 
• Salsa
• Jalapenos
• Avocado chunks
• Croutons
• Cilantro
• Scallions
• Diced white onion

You can also make some variations to the meat. Swap out the ground beef for turkey.

Or leave the meat out entirely. Simply not adding it makes this meal 100% vegan-friendly. 

You can also whip up some tofu “ground beef” to use. 

How to Store

You can store leftover soup in the fridge or freezer.

Either way, start by letting the soup cool completely. Then, transfer it into an air-tight container. 

It should remain fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stove over medium heat. 

If you’re wondering how to freeze soup, keep in mind you’ll need a freezer-safe container with enough room for the soup to expand.

Air-tight containers, sealable Souper Cubes, and Ziploc bags all work. Date the container, and freeze it for up to 6 months. 

When you want to eat it, it’s best to let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

Then, you can heat it in the microwave or on the stove. 

Taco Soup (Best Recipe)

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

370

kcal

This incredible taco soup will become a new household staple! Packed with beef, beans, corn, tomatoes, and chilies, it’s a hearty meal the family will love.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 1 envelope taco seasoning

• 1 -1/2 cups water

• 1 (16-ounce) can mild chili beans, undrained

• 1 (15-1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (14-1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato with green chiles

• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, optional

• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

Instructions

• Cook the ground beef in a large stew pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Break the meat into smaller crumbles while it cooks. It should be ready when there’s no pink left.
• Drain the grease from the pot. Then, mix in the taco seasoning until the meat is well-coated.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring regularly. Bring the soup to a boil. Then, reduce the heat so the soup continues to simmer but doesn’t boil over. Do not cover the pot.
• Let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes more. Stir occasionally. Once the soup is heated through, it’s ready to serve.

NaTaya Hastings

NaTaya Hastings is a food and recipe writer for Insanely Good Recipes. She’s an educator, boy mom, dog mom, and whatever-stray-enters-the-yard mom. As a result, she's constantly cooking for both humans and animals.

Luckily, she enjoys it!

Though born, raised, and still living in Alabama, her specialty is NOT down-home Southern cooking. Instead, she loves to experiment with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. She has two mottos when it comes to cooking. “The more spice, the better!” and “There’s no such thing as too much garlic!”

She’s also pretty good with desserts. Especially the easy, no-bake ones.

Her favorite things are cuddling with her four giant dogs, traveling, reading, writing, and hanging out in nature. She’s also pretty excellent at Dominoes.

See Full Bio

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