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Beef Taco Soup

Beef taco soup with a deeply flavored broth made by browning ground beef, simmering canned beans and tomatoes, and finishing with Tex-Mex taco seasoning. This hearty, spoonable soup is topped with cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeños, and cilantro.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and vegetables
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 4 garlic
Beans, tomatoes, and seasonings
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Toppings
  • 1 cheddar shredded
  • 1 sour cream
  • 1 tortilla chips
  • 1 jalapeños
  • 1 cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, breaking it up, until cooked through, then drain excess fat.
  2. Keep the heat at medium-high while the beef cooks, then let it sit briefly in the pot after draining so the surface stays hot for sautéing.
Sauté aromatics
  1. Add the diced onion and diced green bell pepper to the pot and sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant, without browning.
Season and build flavor
  1. Add taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika, then stir for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
  2. Add the kidney beans, black beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and beef broth, then bring the soup to a boil.
Simmer and serve
  1. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the broth is deeply flavored.
  2. Serve hot and load each bowl with cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeños, and cilantro.

Notes

Pro tip: drain the beef well and simmer uncovered just enough to thicken the broth slightly. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months (leave off most toppings until reheating). For a lighter option, use 90/10 or 93/7 ground beef and swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt.