I always look forward to cooler weather so that I can cook a big pot of taco soup. Just like a chili, stew, or gumbo, soup always tastes better in the cooler months.

I acquired this taco soup recipe many years ago from a former work colleague who used to treat everyone to lunch by making big batches of the soup for all of his employees. It was and still is the perfect meal to feed a large crowd, or have enough left over for multiple meals. This soup also freezes very well if you want to save the leftovers for a future freezer meal.

When choosing what meat to cook in your taco soup, you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or you can even use shredded chicken. Since we always have a freezer full of deer meat on hand I like to incorporate deer meat into any recipe that calls for ground meat. For this recipe I used half ground deer and half ground beef (73% lean). You can certainly omit the meat for a vegetarian taco soup and simply add more beans.

When serving taco soup I like to top my bowl with shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and sour cream. You can also add some cilantro and sliced jalapeno peppers on top as well.

Let’s get to cookin’! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ tsp. Cajun seasoning
• ½ tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 packet ranch style dressing & seasoning mix
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 10 oz. can Mexican style diced tomatoes with lime juice & cilantro, undrained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 14 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
• 14 oz. can pinto beans, undrained
• 14 oz. can ranch style beans, undrained
• 14 oz. can cream style corn, undrained
• 14 oz. can sliced carrots, undrained

Topping Suggestions:

• cheddar cheese, shredded
• sour cream
• tortilla chips (crushed) or tortilla strips
• cilantro, roughly chopped
• jalapeno peppers, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, or Dutch oven, add olive oil, onion, and Cajun seasoning. Sauté onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, until soft.

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2. Add ground meat and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until ground meat is completely cooked though and no longer pink.

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3. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

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4. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5. Top each serving with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!

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