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Ground beef and pantry staples join forces to bring this easy Taco Soup to life in just 30 minutes. It’s Midwest-meets-Tex-Mex in this fusion cult favorite.
Tex Mex cuisine holds a special place in my heart.
This is probably not shocking if you’re a regular reader, as I have more riffs on tacos as their are days in the week! Case in point: Dorito Taco Salad, Taco Pizza, Taco Stuffed Tomatoes, Taco Tortilla Roll Ups, Easy Taco Dip, One Pot Taco Spaghetti, and this easy soup recipe below.
Taco Soup ranks among my favorites because if you have a package of ground beef and a handful of pantry staples, it’s a cinch to whip up any day of the week. It’s as simple as dump, simmer, and savor, and a big pot is only 30 minutes away.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: I suggest an 85% lean, 15% fat ground beef blend. If desired, swap in ground turkey, chicken, pork, or ground sausage. For a vegetarian Taco Soup, add an extra can or two of beans.
- Canned diced tomatoes: Use fire-roasted for a hint more smoky flavor.
- Taco seasoning: For Homemade Taco Seasoning, in a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt to taste (I like 2 teaspoons). Whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch if desired. Swap in a packet of store-bought seasoning if you like.
- Ranch dressing mix: For Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dill weed, and salt (I like ¼ teaspoon). Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator. If desired, start with a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning (or your other favorite supermarket brand).
- Tortilla chips: Again, purchased or Homemade Tortilla Chips, choose your adventure. You could also fry tortillas whole to serve with Taco Soup.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Add water, beans, tomatoes, corn, chiles, and all juices from cans. Stir in taco seasoning and ranch seasoning.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, minced cilantro, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: My easy Taco Soup recipe creates 12 (1-cup) servings, ideal to enjoy as a lunch or for dinner alongside a hearty side (see ideas below in my “Recipe FAQs”)
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cooled Taco Soup can be transferred to freezer-safe containers, labeled, dated, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup: To make this a set-and-forget meal, after adding all of the Taco Soup ingredients to the pot in Step 2, transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Recipe FAQs
My family asks for Mexican Rice alongside Taco Soup every single time! A cheese quesadilla, Mexican Corn Salad, or Mexican Street Corn (Elote) are also strong contenders.
Options abound. If you prefer, skip the ground beef in Step 1 and stir in shredded leftover or Rotisserie Chicken or thawed frozen or raw fresh shrimp about 2 minutes before serving. Both already-cooked poultry and shrimp warm up lightning quick.
More ground beef recipes
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Beef Recipes
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Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion diced (about 2 cups)
- 3 cups water
- 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans undrained
- 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (14 ounce) can whole kernel corn undrained
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies undrained
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 1 packet store bought
- 1/4 cup homemade ranch dressing mix or 1 packet store bought
- shredded cheese for serving
- sour cream for serving
- tortilla chips for serving
- avocado diced, for serving
- minced fresh cilantro for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch Oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Add water, beans, tomatoes, corn, chiles, and all juices from cans. Stir in taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, minced cilantro, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: I suggest an 85% lean, 15% fat ground beef blend. If desired, swap in ground turkey, chicken, pork, or ground sausage. For a vegetarian Taco Soup, add an extra can or two of beans.
- Canned diced tomatoes: Use fire-roasted for a hint more smoky flavor.
- Taco seasoning: For Homemade Taco Seasoning, in a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt to taste (I like 2 teaspoons). Whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch if desired. Swap in a packet of store-bought seasoning if you like.
- Ranch dressing mix: For Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dill weed, and salt (I like ¼ teaspoon). Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator. If desired, start with a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning (or your other favorite supermarket brand).
- Tortilla chips: Again, purchased or Homemade Tortilla Chips, choose your adventure. You could also fry tortillas whole to serve with Taco Soup.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I clicked on this because it said slow cooker taco soup. This recipe is not slow cooker.
Hi Kathleen, the directions to make it in a slow cooker are in the post, sorry for the confusion. Here you go: “Slow Cooker: To make this a set-and-forget meal, after adding all of the Taco Soup ingredients to the pot in Step 2, transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.” Hope you love this soup! Enjoy! – Meggan
How much meat do we use in this Taco soup
Hi Goldie, it calls for 2 pounds of ground beef. I hope you enjoy this soup! – meggan
The recipe is good. I like your recipes.
Thank you Linda! This makes my day! :D
II can hardly wait to try this recipe. Mary
It says 12 servings, but what is the actual serving size?
Made this for the first time this past weekend and it turned out great! We just finished the last of it off!
This was my first time making taco soup, it was awesome!! Will definitely be making this regularly!
Just got done making this recipe, and it’s AMAZING! I substituted a few things, and added some things:
2 lbs ground beef
3 cups water
1 4oz can green chilies
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 diced onion
1tsp onion powder
2 packets taco seasoning
2 packets ranch seasoning
Dash of ground red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepared as directed. Delicious!!
I’ve never had a taco soup before – why not??
Now I have no excuse not to try it! Looks and sounds amazing, Meggan!
Adding the chips first sounds delicious! Sounds like a great and quick meal for a busy weeknight!