Making Taco Soup

I know, right. Taco soup? Who in the world eats taco soup? Aren’t you supposed to eat tacos in a shell or burrito? That’s just weird. No, actually it’s pretty good and this is coming from someone who is very picky. I would have to say I was around fourteen or fifteen, I was being homeschooled and my mom decided I would take Home Ec a.k.a I would cook supper from then on, it wasn’t a formal class…or a class at all, just an excuse. ‘Got to love her.

So, my cousin, who is in love with all food Mexican, brought over a few recipes - taco soup being one of them. I’ll admit, I was skeptical but if it can change my mind, then it could possibly change yours.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (If your ground beef is very lean, that is.)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 1 can of whole kernel corn (drained)
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes (Mexican style, if your store has it available; if not, that’s fine.)
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes or tomatoes with green chile peppers. (This is optional. I usually opt out because I don’t like peppers. So I usually add a can of tomato paste instead.)
• 1 pkg (about one ounce) of taco seasoning mix
• 1 pkg of original hidden valley ranch dressing (dry)
• 2 ½ cups of water or more, to make the soup broth (Also, if you want it soup-y add more water if you want it more creamy I suggest adding more tomato paste or tomato sauce, whichever you prefer. I like it thick.)

Serves 6-8

Time to cook

Brown your ground beef and onions in a large pan with olive oil if needed. Drain off the fat (some brands of ground beef is super greasy, if this is the case I recommend actually washing off your meat). My family and I hate bland meats, so this is optional, but if you want you can season your meat with whatever you usually use. I use all season salt, black pepper, and a few squirts of pepper juice.

After that is done, combine all your ingredients; it doesn’t matter what order. Stir it and turn your oven on simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour - it depends on your oven’s settings. I know ours was wacky so it didn’t actually take an hour.

Once it’s done pop it in a bowl and eat. For extra yumminess, I suggest having some hot cornbread as a side, specifically Mexican cornbread. It’s delicious. I hope you enjoy.