One of the first things I posted on Budget Bites was taco soup, and now, 16 years later, I'm back with this delicious taco soup recipe. I appreciate how quick and easy this delicious soup is to make, but now I know how to make all the spice mixes from scratch, so I can make it 100% at home or take a store-bought shortcut when needed. Either way, this taco soup is full of flavor, color, and texture and is one of my go-to recipes that I will never tire of!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means we offer you a small commission on the items you purchase at no extra charge.
What is Taco Soup?
Taco soup is a really simple soup made with a colorful mix of ground beef, beans, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and vegetables like corn and a generously spiced tomato-based broth. It has a lot of flavor and texture, but it takes a lot of work to prepare. And the best part? It's just begging for all the fun toppings you can find on a taco!
Here's what you'll need to make this easy taco soup:
- Ground Beef: Ground beef helps make this soup really hearty and meal-worthy, but if you don't like beef, you can make it vegetarian by adding ground turkey, pork, pork, or extra beans and vegetables.
- Beans: Beans help greatly in this recipe while keeping costs down. For this recipe, I use two types of beans (pinto and black beans), but you can always add more if you want!
- Vegetables: The combination of vegetables keeps this bowl of soup colorful and flavorful. I used diced tomatoes along with onion, garlic, green chilies and corn. And the sky is the limit for adding more vegetables.
- Seasoning: This soup does not lack in flavor due to the combination of not just one but two spices. Taco SeasoningAnd ranch seasoning. You can either use my homemade recipe or take a shortcut and use store bought seasoning packets. This bold blend of flavors ensures that every spoonful is a ten!
- Tomato Paste: I add a few spoonfuls of tomato paste to thicken the broth a bit and add some shine to the soup.
- Toppings: This is where the fun of soup comes in! Add all your favorite taco toppings to your bowl or spread it out and allow each person to make their own bowl.
Store-bought vs. Homemade Seasonings
One of the reasons taco soup is so popular is that it's easy to make and uses many convenient, shelf-stable pantry ingredients. Instead of measuring ten different herbs and spices, you can use a store-bought spice mix all at once. But store-bought spice packets are sodium bombs. So if you want a little more control over the ingredients in your taco soup, I have homemade versions of both seasoning packets that you can use in their place. 🙂 Look at mine Homemade Taco Seasoning And Homemade Ranch Seasoning For a more “from scratch” option.
- High-fat ground beef can produce too much fat when cooking. After browning your meat, if you notice a significant amount of excess fat, I recommend skimming it off before adding the other ingredients. Otherwise, your soup may become a little greasy.
- Feel free to adjust the spice level to your liking. Whether you use a store-bought spice mix or make your own from scratch, it's pretty easy to make. If you don't like a ton of spice, start with a mild spice mix you know you like (if store-bought) and add additional cayenne pepper to the pot as needed. If making my homemade spice mix, just adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your liking.
- Don't forget to drain your beans! I like to use canned beans for ease and convenience (dried beans will work too, but you have to soak them first), but you definitely don't want to add canned bean liquid to this soup. This will make the broth too salty and muddy the flavor. I always drain my beans before adding them to the pot. You can also rinse them if you're watching your sodium intake.
What to Serve with Taco Soup
Taco soup has a lot going on in each bowl, so an entire meal can easily be considered in one bowl, but if you want to add a little something, I'm a little simpler. Cornbread Or maybe some Coriander lime rice.
But before you get to the side dishes, here are some of my favorite toppings for taco soup:
- Tortilla chips
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- green onion
- Pickled red onion
- Cheddar cheese
- Fresh coriander
- Fresh lime
Store leftovers and reheat
Taco soup is great for meal prep because the flavors get better as it chills in the fridge! I divide this soup into single servings right after cooking so it cools quickly, then refrigerate for 4-5 days. For longer storage, you can transfer the cooled soup to the freezer and store for about three months. The soup is easily reheated in the microwave or in a saucepot on medium-low.
Taco soup is also really easy to make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Just follow these simple instructions:
Slow Cooker Taco Soup: Brown the ground beef in a skillet, then add to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook for six hours on low or three hours on high.
Instant Pot Taco Soup: Brown the ground beef using the sauté function, then continue to sauté with the onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, secure the lid and cook on high pressure for five minutes. Allow the pot to release pressure naturally, then carefully remove the lid and serve.
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
This easy taco soup recipe is a simple yet delicious one-bowl meal with ground beef, beans, veggies, and lots of tasty toppings!
Prevent your screen from going dark
- 1 tbsp olive oil ($0.19)
- 1 lb Ground beef ($4.63)
- 1 Yellow onion ($0.90)
- 4 cloves Garlic ($0.20)
- 1 Cup Frozen corn ($0.65)
- 2 10 oz Canned tomatoes with green chillies ($1.92)
- 1 15 oz Can pinto beans, drain ($0.86)
- 1 15 oz Can black beans, drain ($0.86)
- 1 Packet Taco Seasoning* ($0.47)
- 1 Packet Wrench Masala* ($0.54)
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste ($0.21)
- 2 Cup water ($0.00)
-
Add olive oil and ground beef to a large soup pot. Cook over medium heat until the beef is completely browned. If using high-fat beef, drain excess fat from pot.
-
While the beef is cooking, chop the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the pot with the beef and continue to cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
-
Add the frozen corn, pinto beans (drained), black beans (drained), and green chilies (with juice) to the tomatoes.
-
Add tomato paste, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning and water to a bowl. Stir well to combine. Put on the heat, cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil.
-
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and let soup simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Serve hot with your favorite toppings!
Let's see how Calculate the cost of the recipe here.
Serving: 1Serving (1.5 cups)Calories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 23gFat: 18gSodium: 618mgFiber: 11g
Read our full Nutrition disclaimer here.
How to Make Taco Soup – Step by Step Photo
Gather all your materials.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and one pound of ground beef to a large soup pot. Cook on medium heat until the beef is cooked. If using high-fat beef, drain excess fat from pot. When the beef is cooked, add a chopped yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Stir and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add one cup of frozen corn kernels, one 15 oz. can black beans (drained), one 15oz. can of pinto beans (drained), and two 10oz. Cans of diced tomatoes with green chillies (with juice). Stir well to combine.
Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, a packet of taco seasoning (or a recipe Homemade Taco Seasoning), a packet of ranch seasoning (or a recipe Homemade ranch seasoning), and 2 cups of water. Stir well to combine.
Set the gas to medium-high and place the lid on top. Let the soup boil. When it comes to a boil, stir, turn the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking (I didn't add anything extra). Serve hot with your favorite toppings!