Easy Taco Soup- Spaceships and Laser Beams

close up shot of a bowl of Taco Soup topped with sour cream, jalapeño, and green onion

Quick and simple, this authentic homemade taco soup is loaded with flavor.

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Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Servings

Table of Contents

What Is Taco Soup?
What Goes In Taco Soup?
Homemade Taco Soup Substitutions
How To Make Easy Taco Soup With Ground Beef
How To Serve This Taco Soup Recipe
Easy Taco Soup Storage
You’ll Love This Recipe For Taco Soup
Taco Soup Recipe FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Love
JUMP TO RECIPE
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This easy taco soup recipe is the perfect alternative for Taco Tuesday! Ground beef, plenty of veggies, and flavorful seasonings combine for a hearty meal that can be served mild or spicy for a guaranteed family favorite.

What Is Taco Soup?

Taco soup is a delicious, comforting dish that has all of your favorite taco flavors and ingredients but is cooked with a broth into soup form.

What Goes In Taco Soup?

Taco Soup raw ingredients that are labeled

When it comes to satisfying your taste buds, few things can compare to a delicious bowl of taco soup.

The rich aroma of seasoned ground beef mingling with the tangy taste of diced tomatoes, beans, and corn, can make your mouth water in anticipation.

You’ll need:

½ tablespoon of olive oil
1½ pounds of ground beef
One small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package of taco seasoning
½ cup of green pepper, diced
2 cups of beef broth
1½ cups of frozen corn
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 (10-ounce) can of Rotel tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can of green chilies
1 cup of water, optional

Homemade Taco Soup Substitutions

LOW-CARB: Make low-carb taco soup by leaving out the beans and adding more meat.

VEGETARIAN: Make this easy taco soup recipe vegetarian by skipping the meat and only using beans. Switch the beef broth to vegetable broth, and you are all set.

BEANS: Red kidney beans could be substituted in this hearty soup for either pinto or black beans.

GROUND MEAT: Ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork all work well in this hearty soup recipe.

How To Make Easy Taco Soup With Ground Beef

Once you brown the beef, you can add the rest of the soup ingredients into the same pot. Simmer for about half an hour and you’ll have a hearty soup to enjoy.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

This recipe can also be made or kept warm in your slow cooker.

STEP ONE: In a large pot or Dutch oven, drizzle the olive oil and brown the ground beef along with the diced onions until no pink remains in the meat. Drain off any excess fat.

PRO TIP:

You can cook ground beef ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to add it to your recipe.

STEP TWO: Add the garlic and taco seasoning and stir for one minute.

garlic and taco seasoning added to the pot of ground beef

STEP THREE: Add the rest of the ingredients to the soup pot and bring to a boil. Depending on how thick you like your soup, you can add 1 cup of water to the soup.

vegetables added to the pot of ground beef mixture

STEP FOUR: Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. This is made on the stovetop, but you could easily transfer it to your crockpot to simmer or keep warm for serving a crowd.

How To Serve This Taco Soup Recipe

Taco night just got even better with this amazing soup. Serve your beef taco soup with any of your favorite taco toppings, including sliced red or green onions, a dollop of sour cream, jalapeños, Mexican blend cheese, cheddar cheese, avocado, corn chips, tortilla strips, or chopped cilantro.

Bake a pan of our delicious cornbread to serve on the side as well.

If you’re looking for other great Tex-Mex recipe ideas, you definitely want to try our taco bake and chicken enchiladas.

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Easy Taco Soup Storage

Leftover soup keeps well for a tasty and easy meal later. Here’s how to store your taco soup.

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store leftovers of this great recipe in the fridge in an airtight container for three to four days.

IN THE FREEZER: This easy recipe is a great meal to make a double batch and store half in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will last for four to six months in the freezer.

PRO TIP:

I love freezing soup in gallon-size freezer bags because it’s so easy to store flat and then thaw and reheat without taking up a lot of space in my freezer.

REHEATING: You can reheat individual portions of this flavorful soup in the microwave or pour it back into a pot and warm back through on the stovetop.

close up shot of a spoonful of Taco Soup in a pot

You’ll Love This Recipe For Taco Soup

This delicious taco soup can be served mild or spicy. A one-pot meal, it’s loaded with pantry staples and topped with your favorite toppings for a fast, yet hearty, meal.

Taco Soup Recipe FAQs

Could I make this in the slow cooker?

This easy soup recipe could be made and left to simmer away in your slow cooker until you are ready to serve it. Once you brown the ground beef, all of the ingredients can be added to the slow cooker and cooked on low for about 6 hours.

Can I use ground pork instead of ground beef?

You could use any ground meat or even Italian sausage in this soup.

Can I freeze taco soup?

This great recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to six months.

How do you cut the spice in taco soup?

To cut down the spice in taco soup, you can dilute the soup with more ingredients and broth or garnish the soup with crema or sour cream.

Do you put taco seasoning in before or after the meat is cooked?

For this taco soup recipe, you will cook the meat first and then mix in the taco seasoning.

Do you put taco seasoning in before or after you drain the meat?

You will want to drain the meat first before adding the taco seasoning; otherwise, you may drain off some of your flavorful seasonings.

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Taco Soup Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Quick and simple, this authentic homemade taco soup is loaded with flavor.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings

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Ingredients

½ tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds ground beef
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package taco seasoning
½ cup green pepper, diced
2 cups beef broth
1½ cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces tomato sauce
10 ounces Rotel tomatoes
4 ounces green chilies
1 cup water, optional

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, drizzle the olive oil and brown the ground beef along with the diced onions until no pink remains in the meat. Drain off any excess fat.
Add the garlic and taco seasoning and stir for one minute.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the soup pot and bring to a boil. Depending on how thick you like your soup, you can add 1 cup of water to the soup.
Once it comes to a boil reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

This recipe can also be made or kept warm in your slow cooker.
You can cook ground beef ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to add it to your recipe.
I love freezing soup in gallon-size freezer bags because it’s so easy to store flat and then thaw and reheat without taking up a lot of space in my freezer.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant