This delicious and hearty taco soup recipe is easy to make and loaded with flavor. This high protein soup is a great well balanced meal that is made with simple pantry staples. This Mexican soup is made with minimal prep and the whole family will love it!
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
Taco soup is one of my all time favorite comfort foods! And you can easily whip up a batch of this soup with simple pantry staples. It’s all made in one pot too!
Make a batch of my homemade taco seasoning and homemade ranch seasoning for this recipe to enjoy whenever you like!
How to Make Easy Taco Soup
Be sure to scroll down to get the full recipe!
- Prep: Dice the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Heat a dutch oven or large pot on the stove top.
- Make: Brown the beef and set to one side. Soften the onion, jalapeno and garlic and then add the rest of the soup ingredients. Simmer.
- Season: Add in the taco and ranch seasoning along with a little salt and pepper.
- Finish: Simmer for another 15 minutes before serving with your favorite toppings.
What toppings do you serve with this soup?
I like to add tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese to my easy taco soup for texture and creaminess, but you can add lots of other your other favorite Mexican toppings too. Try it with:
- Sliced avocado
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Sliced jalapeno
- Shredded lettuce
- Homemade taco sauce
- Caramelized Onions
A hearty one pot soup
The flavors in this soup are really rich, you would honestly think that it has been simmering four hours, but in reality it takes only about 45 minutes to make this, and most of that is hands off time.
It makes for a hearty dinner, or you can serve it in smaller batches for a filling lunch.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Once you have made the soup, let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can make ahead and freeze it for up to 4 months. Defrost frozen soup in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.
We recommend freezing the easy taco soup in a freezer safe gallon ziplock bag to save space!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I like to use red and black beans in this soup, but you can substitute these for any beans that you have.
- The flavors in this soup get stronger the more it sets – I always like to make it the day before!
- Make the easy taco soup in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan. They will distribute the heat more evenly so that the bottom is less likely to burn.
More Soup Recipes
- 7 Can Soup
- Mom’s Tomato Soup
- Hearty Vegetable Soup
- Parmesan and White Bean Soup
- Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Swedish Meatball Soup
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15 ounce can red or pinto beans
- 1 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 15 ounce can corn
- 1 cup water
- 2 14.5 ounce cans petite-diced tomatoes
- 1 1.25 ounce packet taco seasoning or 1-2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
- ½ 1 ounce packet Ranch Seasoning or 1 tablespoon Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed
- Chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- Brown the beef in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, and drain all except 2 tablespoons rendered fat. Transfer beef to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- In the same pan, add diced onion and jalapeno; cook over medium heat , stirring often, until onion is translucent and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Add all other soup ingredients, stir well and bring to a low boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
- Taste the soup and season with taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, salt and pepper, if needed.
- Simmer an additional 15 minutes over low heat.
- Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips, crackers or toasty bread.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- I like to use red and black beans in this soup, but you can substitute these for any beans that you have.
- The flavors in this soup get stronger the more it sets – I always like to make it the day before!
- Make the easy taco soup in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan. They will distribute the heat more evenly so that the bottom is less likely to burn.
- This soup can be frozen up to 4 months or refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 5 days. We recommend freezing in a freezer safe gallon ziplock bag to save space!
Nutrition Information
A delicious recipe that I’ll be making again. I ended up draining the beans (I wasn’t sure if I should or not) and used beef broth instead of water, and it all turned out well!
Thanks for sharing your success again, Helen!
I was going to make this tonight and you probably won’t be able to answer before I do, but just in case: Am I supposed to drain the beans and corn, or put them and their liquid in the pot?
Drain is best!
This is really good – and so easy to make!
Thanks Linda! I’m glad you loved it!!