Description
This easy, and budget-friendly, Taco-Tuesday favorite brings simple pantry staples to life in a hearty soup of beef, beans, rice and veggies swimming in a savory broth kissed with lime. Sshhhh! It’s healthy, but no one needs to know. This scrumptious comfort-food hug in a bowl will be on the table in 30 minutes and everyone is going to want seconds. Make taco soup part of your regular meal rotation. Perfect any day of the week!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. Ground Beef 85/15, browned and drained
- 1 cup Instant Brown Rice (White will work, but it MUST be instant rice.)
- 1 cup Red Onion, minced finely
- 1/3 cup Taco Seasoning (I used my homemade taco seasoning, but sub 2 packets if you have store-bought.)
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (i.e. Rotel)
- 3 (15 oz) cans Beans (Use the variety you love best. I used black, red and navy. I’ve also used pinto with delicious results.)
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (32 oz.) carton chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup lime juice (To be added after removing from the heat.)
- Optional Toppings: Cheese, Sour cream, Cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, jalapeno, pico de Gallo, tomatoes, tortilla chips, green onions, parsley
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a soup pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold all the soup. Break it into small pieces as you go and when no pink remains, drain the grease if there is any. TIP: Use medium-high heat to achieve a good sear, resulting in dark brown caramelization on at least a few of the meat pieces. This will add excellent flavor to the soup. Don’t worry about stuck on browned bits in the bottom of the pot. They’ll come right up when you add the liquids.
- Mince the onion while the beef is cooking. You can do it quickly by hand, but a food processor is another fast option if you aren’t confident about your knife skills.
- Add onion, garlic, rice, bay leaf and taco seasoning to the pot with the drained ground beef.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and tomato sauce.
- Add the chicken broth and water to the pot and stir to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Allow the soup to continue boiling low for 20 to 25 minutes until it is hot and the rice is tender.
- Shut off the heat and remove the bay leaf.
- Stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasonings. Does it need salt or pepper? Now is the time to add them if it does.
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings and tortilla chips.
Notes
We usually serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream, some grated Cheddar or Colby Jack and green onions. We also love to scoop it up onto tortilla chips.
The soup keeps up to four days in the fridge or for three months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Main Dish, Beef, Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican-American