I skip the Ranch Dressing mix and use my own homemade chicken stock instead of canned/boxed beef broth. TWO packets of Taco Mix make it a little spicier, but add whatever amount of heat you like. (Frank's Red Hot Sauce!) Have Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese, Black Olives, Green Onions, Taco Chips or Fritos, etc. to top. I would have a crock pot of this going when my guys were selling Christmas Trees for me at my Garden Center in November and December. They loved it!
No tacos?
Same thing, kind of?... Venison or wild pork is good with it too...
Arrow Pilot’s Famous TACO SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
2 LBS LEAN GROUND BEEF
1 FRESH WHITE ONION
1 CAN DICED ROTEL
2 CANS DICED TOMATOS
1 CAN WHOLE KERNEL CORN (Drained)
2 CANS PINTO BEANS
1 CAN RANCH STYLE BEANS WITH JALAPENOS
1 PKG TACO SEASONING
1 PKG RANCH DRESSING MIX
1 “CLUMP” FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)
DIRECTIONS:
Chop the onion.
If you’ll be using cilantro, chop it very finely.
Brown the ground beef with the diced onion in a large soup pot.
Stir in the taco seasoning and the ranch dressing mix until the meat is evenly coated.
Pour in all the canned items, continuing to stir and heat.
If you’re using cilantro, put that in last after all the canned items.
Heat the soup until hot. If you have the time, simmering makes it better.
Variations and Serving Suggestions:
For those who like it spicier, you can “turn up the heat” by substituting more Diced Rotel for one or both cans of the Diced Tomatos, substituting more Ranch Style Beans with Jalapenos for one or both cans of the Pinto Beans, and/or substituting HOT Taco Seasoning for the regular kind.
I like a thick soup and so I drain the water off the corn and leave the lid off the pot to let some of the water evaporate during heating. If you like a thinner soup, you don’t have to drain the corn and you can keep the lid on the pot. For my tastes, the leaner the ground beef, the better. If you use ground beef that is not lean, you’ll probably want to drain off the grease after you brown it and before you add the other ingredients. For a wild game version, you can use ground venison or ground wild pork instead of the lean ground beef.
The soup is good poured over Fritos corn chips or crumbled tortilla chips. Try sprinkling grated cheese over the top and letting it melt in with the soup.
This makes, I’d say, about eight good servings. The original recipe didn’t include cilantro, but I found that it really adds flavor and highly recommend it! The soup is actually quite a bit better when reheated the second day. So make a big pot and enjoy the leftovers!
Hey, I gotta make chili in a couple of weeks for a small Bible study.
Right now I’m planning on:
2-2.5lbs hamburger
white and yellow onion (need a yellow)
Multiple types of beans (canned from the prepper rotation)
(chili beans mostly, some Great Northern beans a can or two, seasoned black beans)
No peppers per se because one person is allergic
However, have tomatoes with chilis (1 can I think)
Crushed tomatoes in sauce
(I’m toying with adding some tomato juice from breakfast)
Maybe a can or 2 of red beans
Chili seasoning
A bit of chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, maybe a couple garlic cloves
Red wine vinegar (need more)
Hot sauce, plus a little taco sauce and maybe picante
A bit of salt, pepper, paprika, lemon pepper
As you can see - almost the kitchen sink, too.
They liked my red beans and rice - Spam was the meat, diced up (well red beans and rice +++ lol). I used some cornbread mix with an extra egg or two (about 4 boxes).
I’m looking forward to cooking all that.
I make the same taco soup but with 1 can of diced tomatoes, no ranch or beef broth or rotel. I add a can of tomato sauce.
Tortilla chips, cheese, and green onions and yes, hot sauce.