The best ever Taco Soup Recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients including ground meat, canned tomatoes, beans, and a combination of seasonings and spices. Super easy to make on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, enjoy this delicious protein-packed taco soup with all of your favorite toppings like cheese, avocado, and sour cream.
The Best Taco Soup
After seeing how much Octavian loves my Ground Beef Tacos I felt it necessary to push the boundaries and test my luck with this crazy delicious and easy taco soup. Now, if you’re wondering, “What exactly is taco soup?”, please allow me to explain.
It’s basically chili con carne or chili with meat that’s seasoned with taco seasoning, fresh cilantro, and fresh lime juice.
And keeping with the theme and flavors of tacos, picking the right toppings is key to achieving the perfect bowl of taco soup. My bowl was topped with tortilla chips, green onions, and avocado. Other highly recommended additions include sour cream, cheese, and pico de gallo!
Oh yes! and for those of you wondering- Octavian did LOVE this soup (loaded, of course, with lots and lots of cheese). He did say, however, that he likes regular tacos better…
Ingredients in Taco Soup
To make this easy taco soup recipe you’ll need the following ingredients,
- Olive oil – to saute the vegetables and brown the ground meat.
- Onion + Bell Pepper – your flavor base, I recommend cooking the onion and red bell pepper low and slow to soften and sweeten the vegetables rather than brown them. Red onion may be substituted.
- Ground meat – 90% lean ground beef is a popular (and favorite) option. For a somewhat healthier option, you can also use one pound of ground beef and one pound of ground turkey.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is a must in this taco soup recipe. Feel free to add more or less to suit your own personal garlic preference.
- Homemade Taco Seasoning – make your own with a mix of onion powder, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sugar, and salt, or, use your favorite store-bought version (2-3 tablespoons).
- Tomato Paste – tomato paste helps deepen the tomato flavor of the broth while also thickening the broth.
- Canned tomatoes + Tomato sauce – feel free to use canned tomatoes with diced green chilies, if preferred.
- Beef broth – low-sodium chicken broth or water will also work.
- Beans – I added one can each of black beans and red kidney beans. Feel free to use your favorite variety of beans including pinto beans or great northern beans.
- Black olives – black olives are my 5-year-old’s very favorite part of tacos. I made sure to add sliced black olives to the soup and as a topping. If they’re not your own personal favorite, feel free to serve them on the side.
- Cilantro + fresh lime juice – cilantro and fresh lime juice are added just before serving. If you don’t like cilantro, skip it.
How to Make Taco Soup
This taco soup recipe is so easy to make on the stovetop! Make it with all your favorite ingredients and toppings.
- Start by sauteeing the onions and bell pepper. Sauté the onions in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook until softened and translucent. Add the bell pepper and continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. If you want a spicier soup, add 1-2 diced jalapenos at the same time as the bell pepper.
- Cook the ground meat. Add the ground beef and ground turkey to the onions, breaking it apart into smaller bits and pieces as it cooks.
- If you decide to use just ground beef, you may want to cook the ground meat first, before the onions and bell pepper, draining the excess fat before adding it back to the pot after the onions and bell pepper cook.
- Add the aromatics and spices. Reduce heat to medium and add the minced garlic. Cook for approximately 1 minute then add the chili powder, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and sugar (or 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite store-bought taco seasoning) mixing well to combine. Allow the spices to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste first, mixing well. Cook, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
- Add the beans and olives and cook. Add the drained beans and black olives, mixing well to combine. Return to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (add additional broth or water to thin soup if needed).
- Stir in the lime juice and fresh cilantro. Add the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, if desired. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve. Serve with all of your favorite toppings including crumbled tortilla chips, sliced avocado, green onion, and shredded cheese.
How to Make Crock Pot Taco Soup
- Saute the onions and bell pepper in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 4-6 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent. Add the bell pepper and continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the ground beef and ground turkey to the onions, breaking it apart into smaller bits and pieces as it cooks. Cook until the meat has browned. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the onion and meat mixture to the slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients except for the fresh lime juice and cilantro.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
What to Serve with Taco Soup
I like to serve this taco soup with warm tortillas, cilantro lime rice, fresh ceviche, and of course, margaritas!
Here are some of my favorite go-to toppings:
- Shredded cheese
- Crunched up tortilla chips or tortilla strips
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sour cream (always)
- Avocado or guacamole (like this Mango Guacamole or Classic Guacamole)
- Cilantro
- Diced Jalapeños or green chiles
- Red or green onion
- Salsa or homemade pico de gallo
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a couple of different ways to make taco soup cheesy and creamy. My first recommendation would be to add 4 ounces of room temperature full-fat cream cheese. Another fantastic option is to melt shredded sharp cheddar cheese directly into the pot of hot soup- remember, however, that this will lead to stringy bits of cheese which is both fun…and messy!
This recipe is written to be mild, but it can be spicy if you like it that way. Easily add a little heat to your soup by adding a dash of cayenne pepper or diced jalapeño peppers.
Yes. If you choose to use store-bought taco seasoning, keep in mind that it may or may not be spicy – I can’t make any promises here. How much should you add? In general, at least whenever you’re making ground beef taco meat, you want to add about 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning per 1 pound of meat. Since this is a soup, I like to add a little extra, so anywhere between 2-3 tablespoons.
Can You Freeze Taco Soup?
Yes. Taco soup not only tastes delicious leftover for up to 5 days but can also be frozen for up to 3 months!
To freeze:
- Allow your taco soup to come to room temperature or cool overnight in the refrigerator.
- Transfer the soup to freezer-safe ziplock bags or airtight freezer-safe containers.
- Remove as much excess air as possible and transfer it to the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw and reheat:
- Transfer the frozen soup to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Alternatively, for faster thawing, place the bag or container in a bowl filled with warm water. Allow soup to thaw just until it’s easy enough to remove and transfer to a pot.
- Reheat soup in a small pot over medium-low heat, adding additional water or broth as needed.
Have you tried making this taco soup recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - seeded and diced
- 2 pounds ground meat - (I used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground turkey)
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes plus juices
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans - drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans - drained
- 2 limes - juiced, plus more for serving
- ½ cup fresh cilantro - chopped (optional)
- 1 (3.8 ounce) can sliced black olives
Toppings
- Tortilla chips, sliced avocado, green onion, shredded cheese
Instructions
Stove Top
- Saute the onions and bell pepper. Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 4-6 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent. Add the bell pepper and mix well to combine with the onion. Continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Cook the ground meat. Add the ground meat to the onions, breaking apart the ground beef and turkey into smaller and smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Add the aromatics and spices. Once the ground meat is browned and cooked, reduce heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring continuously, for approximately 1 minute. Add the chili powder, onion powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and sugar, mixing well to combine.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste first, mixing well to thoroughly combine with the onions and ground meat. Cook, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth to the pot. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
- Add the beans and olives and cook. Add the drained beans and black olives, mix well to combine. Return to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (add additional broth or water to thin soup if needed).
- Stir in the lime juice and fresh cilantro. Add the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, if desired. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve. Serve with all of your favorite toppings including crumbled tortilla chips, sliced avocado, green onion, and shredded cheese.
Slow-Cooker
- Saute the onions and bell pepper in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 4-6 minutes or until the onions soften and turn translucent. Add the bell pepper and continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the ground beef and ground turkey to the onions, breaking it apart into smaller bits and pieces as it cooks. Cook until the meat has browned. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Remove from heat.
- Transfer onion and meat mixture to the slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients except for the fresh lime juice and cilantro.
- Cook – Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in the lime juice and fresh cilantro. Add the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, if desired. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
I love this recipe except for tortillas. Flour tortilla is made with soy flour and or soy oil, I am very allergic to both. I’ve tried corn tortilla and are very chewy. I appreciate suggestions other than corn tortilla? Thank you
Hi Blossom,
You could always try some chips that are not made with soy flour or soy oil with this taco soup :).