Taco Soup

We had our first big cold front in Dallas a couple weeks ago (complete with a little snow), and the weather made me crave a large bowl of hearty soup.  This taco soup definitely hit the spot...and it was super easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey (you could obviously use ground beef or chicken if you would like, or even shredded chicken)
• 2 cups diced onion
• 2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans
• 1 (15 1/2 oz) can black beans
• 1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2 oz) can tomatoes with chiles
• 2 (4 1/2 oz) cans diced green chiles
• 1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix
• Your favorite toppings, including tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, red/green onion

Pay no attention to the can of cream of mushroom soup in the picture below...I don't know how that little guy snuck in there :).

First, cook the ground turkey and onions in a large pot.

At this point, you need to drain the fat if necessary. This ground turkey was so lean that I didn't need to drain much at all, which made me feel much better about loading on the cheese and sour cream at the end :).

Next, add the beans and corn...

as well as the tomatoes and green chiles...

and finally, the taco seasoning and ranch packet.

Stir everything together. Cover and simmer for at least an hour (I cooked ours for 1.5 hours).

You could also cook it in a crockpot on low for six to eight hours. But I can't resist an opportunity to use my lovely Le Creuset pot.

Thanks, Mom!

When the soup is simmering, you can check it and add chicken stock to thin it out a bit depending on how thick you like your soup. I didn't add any at this point, but I did add a bit the next night when I heated up the leftovers.

Mmmmmmm! Pour yourself a big bowl.

And load it up with your favorite toppings. I went with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream...and it was delicious!

This recipe makes a bunch of soup, so you will have some great leftovers to freeze for another cold winter night.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!