Taco Chili

When I saw a recipe for Taco Soup on a great recipe blog called For the love of cooking I new I needed to try it. The recipe ingredient list was filled with items I keep on hand and the techniques were simple. I am so glad I put this on our menu right away. It delicious and better than I imagined. With my alterations it becomes more of a taco tasting chili than a soup--namely because of it's heartier consistency. Try this TODAY!

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Taco Seasoning Ingredients

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of oregano

1 tsp of chili powder

1 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of onion powder

1 tsp of coriander

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Soup Ingredients

1/2 to 1 lb of lean ground beef

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced (not pictured)

1 can of pinto (or black) beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup of frozen corn

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 4.5 oz can of diced green chilies (or 1-2 jalapenos, diced)

1/2 oz of package of ranch salad dressing mix (half a packet) (I omitted this)

1 8oz can tomato sauce

8 oz (1 cup) water (rinse out tomato cans with water and add to soup)

Directions

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat then add the ground beef. Add all the taco seasonings and mix into the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the diced onion and garlic then mix thoroughly and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies and ranch dressing packet, mix well then cover and simmer on low for 2 hours, stir occasionally. Taste and re-season with sea salt or pepper if needed.

Toppings Ingredients

Corn tortilla strips (directions below)

Sour cream

Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Green onions, diced

While the soup is simmering, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut a few corn tortillas into strips. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray then place the tortilla strips on it and spray them with cooking spray and season with sea salt. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Ladle the soup into bowls then top with corn tortilla strips, soup cream, cheddar cheese and green onions. Enjoy.