Recipe: Taco Soup (only 367 calories per serving!)

Like most people, I LOVE tacos. I also love soup and considering this ridiculously cold weather — we live in the Sacramento area and somehow our windshields were frozen over the other day?! WHAT THE HECK?! — I’m in the mood for soup. So what could be better than combining two of my favorite things? Not much (at least that’s what my very full and happy stomach is saying right now.) Best part? This recipe takes only 30 minutes from start to finish!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp arrowroot flour (or tapioca flour)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp tumeric
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 14.5 oz can black beans (washed)
• 14.5 oz can chili beans in sauce
• 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes (I used a can w/ Mexican spices)
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 ranch packet

I know that seems like a ton of ingredients… but that’s mainly because I have organic spices and would rather use those than a Taco Seasoning Packet (which actually contains a ton of unnecessary ingredients and is way more expensive than making the seasoning on your own.) That being said, you can sub the spices for a packet if you don’t have everything or are short on time. I also made my soup organic, but that’s entirely optional.

Directions

1. Combine all the spices (not to include the ranch packet.) Set aside.
2. Rinse and clean the black beans. Set aside.
3. Pour stewed tomatoes into blender and blend up. You don’t want all the chunks. Set aside.
4. In a large soup pot, brown the ground turkey and ground beef. I do it all at once… it really doesn’t matter if the meat is all mixed up together. BUT you could do it separate if you want.
5. Pour any excess fat out of the meat, then return to heat.
6. Add spices to the pot, coating all of the meat.
7. Add blended stewed tomatoes, black beans, chili beans, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and ranch packet. Stir.
8. Bring ingredients to boil then cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve!

This recipe makes 8 servings (if you were at a restaurant it would be the “bowl” size rather than the “cup” size). I divide them into mason jars for storage + it makes it easy to reheat later; for more on that click here. Without garnishes, and using 85% lean ground beef and 93% lean ground turkey, there’s 367 calories per serving.

Tips

• Optional addition to the soup: if you love corn, add 14.5 oz corn on step #7
• Garnish with Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), shredded cheese, and green onions
• For some delicious crunch, serve with tortilla chips or strips
• If you’re like me and not currently eating corn or dairy, the picture to the right is what your soup serving will look like… a little less fun but still VERY delicious

Last night my husband asked me — as he was eating the Taco Soup — what the difference is between taco soup and chili? To be honest, there’s not a huge difference. Typically chili has a tomato base and taco soup has a beef broth base, plus chili is typically thicker than taco soup…. but outside of that, not much. Either way, this hearty soup is absolutely delicious and has all the amazing flavors of one of my favorite foods, TACOS!

I hope you enjoy my yummy recipe! Comment below if you are able to make it!

Also, remember, if you have to change up the recipe at all… that’s okay! Making food is an art and as long as you love it, that’s all that matters.

xo