Taco Soup
 

Taco Soup - Phase I

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My family loves Taco Soup so I kinda made up our own version of it for Phase I. Here it is:

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cans rotel tomatoes OR diced tomatoes without chilies
2 cans kidney beans
2 can green beans
(Any types of beans on the Phase I list will work - to your taste)
Taco seasoning package
Water as needed
Diced onion
Minced garlic

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic until beef looses pink color and onion is tender or translucent. Drain, (if needed). Add taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water, cook for about 4-5 minutes until water is nearly evaporated. Pour meat mixture into large pot. Add tomatoes and beans and water and mix together. Season further to your taste. I added a little more chili powder, black pepper, cumin. Since we are from TEXAS we like it on the hotter side. But if you don't like it hot, add plain diced tomatoes, instead.
Cover and cook on medium heat about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy.

This can be doubled very easily and kept refrigerated for a quick lunch or supper. Also freezes well. Just be creative and add what you like. On Phase 2~ You can add a can or two of corn, pinto beans, etc...

Sunshinelady

I'm about to make this and was wondering why the recipe calls for "no green chiles". The Rotel tomatoes have green chiles. Should I not use it???

Thanks,
Carole

Just butting in to put my two cents in here...

I think she meant "2 cans rotel tomatoes OR diced tomatoes without chilies" so that people who don't like spicy food can enjoy it, too.

Mamacita

For all of you sage cooks, can this be adapted for a slow cooker? That'd be soooo nice!

I don't see why not as long as you brown the meat and onions before you put them in the crockpot. I think I would be tempted to leave the green beans out of the crockpot until just before serving since then I don't like my green beans mushy. I would toss them in at the end to just warm them up.

My roommate and I love this soup, and yesterday I decided to try it with shredded chicken instead of beef or turkey. It was sooo good, I boiled the chicken breast, shredded them, simmered it in the taco packet and garlic for about 15 minutes (to hold its flavor) and then added the rest of the ingredients. Also, we like to add spinach to our soup, just to squeeze in more veggies. It turned out so good. We actually decided to use the shredded chicken all the time instead of the turkey or beef because it turned out that good. So just an idea for other ladies who want just a slightly different taste to the soup.

the taco seasoning I *used* to use has sugar in it... so make sure check that before you use it! Mexican Oregano, Cumin, Salt, Pepper and Paprika make a good taco seasoning that we've been using.