Taco Tuesday: Easy Taco Soup

A gluten free, hearty soup with all the flavors of your favorite taco. This quick taco soup comes together in under 30 minutes and is versatile allowing you to add whatever vegetables you have on hand!

It’s like your favorite ground beef taco exploded into my soup pot and somehow we lost the shells.
Or something like that.
Actually, this soup is a result of a busy day and a lazy mountain mama that knows how to improvise.

This weekend we celebrated my dad’s birthday (happy birthday, dad!!!) with a full blown turkey dinner. I am so that hostess when anyone asks what they can bring, I tell them nothing. Who does that? Me, apparently. And so I spent all of Sunday cooking my butt off. Cooking, photographing (you didn’t think I’d do all that cooking and not share, did you?), cooking, setting the table, cooking and finishing up by doing the dishes. I did make a darn good meal if I say so myself but I over ate and then woke up yesterday tired and pretty full. Add in an extremely busy day and all of a sudden it’s 4:30 and I have zero motivation to make the tacos I had planned.

What I really wanted was soup. A big pot of veggie laden soup that I could make once and eat all week. After all that cooking over the weekend, I’m pseudo boycotting my kitchen this week. Soup is my go to when I want fast and something that’s going to give back all week. So you know what? I made soup, darn it. Heavy on the veggies since I’m trying to take advantage of the last bit of summer goods. I loaded it with all my favorite parts of a taco, keeping it light and pretty healthy. Also? It’s a cinch to make. It’s on the table in less than 30 minutes. BAM! Just what I needed last night. Quick, lightish and ultra comforting.

Whenever I make this soup, it’s always a little different depending on what I have on hand. I keep the spices the same and always include corn, purple cabbage and a can of El Pato tomato sauce but the rest is usually dictated by what’s in season and more specifically what’s in my fridge. Don’t have black beans you could totally use pinto. Though the Cuban Black Beans from Trader Joes are my favorite. Don’t have a quart of tomatoes you put up last summer? (You really should start canning, you know.) You can use diced or crushed or whatever you have on hand. I’ve used ground turkey, rotisserie chicken, kept it vegetarian. Top it with whatever you want. I like raw red onion, cheddar cheese, cilantro and avocado. It’s all about simplicity today. Make it yours. Pour a bowl of soup, sit down and enjoy.

Taco Soup

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• Yield: 8-10 1x

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Description

A gluten free, hearty soup with all the flavors of your favorite taco!

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Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 lb organic, lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced (1 jalapeño if you like it spicier)
• 1 cup thickly shredded purple cabbage
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1–14oz can black beans, drained
• 1 can El Pato Mexican Tomato Sauce
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 small zucchini, cubed
• 1 small yellow squash, cubed
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt to taste
• optional toppings: fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, minced red onion, diced avocado, sour cream etc.

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Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and brown about 5 minutes breaking up big pieces. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook until vegetables are tender about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeño, cabbage, cumin, chili powder, oregano and salt. Stir to combine and cook about 5 minutes.
2. Add drained black beans, El Pato tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and summer squash. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Turn heat back to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Add corn and lime juice. Season soup with salt to taste.
4. Serve soup in deep bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Notes

This soup is gluten free and Paleo friendly if you don’t add the cheese, corn or beans. But what fun is that?

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup