Best Taco Soup Recipe – One Pot [VIDEO]

Name: Taco Soup Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil (or canola oil); 2 pounds ground beef; 1 medium sweet onion (diced); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 green bell pepper (chopped); 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped); 1 can 8 oz tomato sauce; 1 can 14.5 oz diced Mexican-style Lime and Cilantro Tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes); 1 can 4.5 oz diced green chilies; Juice and zest of one lime; 1 packet 1oz taco seasoning mix (or 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix); 1 can 15.5oz black beans (rinsed and drained); 1 can 15.5oz pink beans (rinsed and drained); 1 can 15.5oz whole kernel corn (drained, optional); 2 1/2 - 3 cups beef broth (adjust based on how thick you want the soup); 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste); Sour cream; Cotija Cheese; Avocado; Sliced jalapeños; Corn Chips

By Catalina Castravet

Updated: Jun 18, 2021

Published: Dec 15, 2019

5 from 24 reviews

Beef Cinco de Mayo One Pan Soups and Stews

Cook time: 30 minutes

This Taco Soup recipe is made easily in one pot and loaded with the best taco-style ingredients! It is made with affordable and easy to find products for the ultimate comfort meal! Check out the recipe video below for a quick tutorial.

This is the perfect warm dish ideal for a cold day and easy to prepare with only 30 minutes of cook time. For other flavorful winter soups, check our Cabbage Rolls Soup, Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup.

Best Taco Soup Recipe

Taco Soup is one of the most amazing and flavorful soups you can make. This soup is so hearty and delicious, yet easy to make. It is a cheap alternative to the best restaurant Taco Soup you can find but conveniently made at home.

Also, it is made with healthy ingredients in only one pot, making it a perfect weeknight meal. The dish is made with a variety of tomatoes, beans, sweet corn, black olives, and taco seasoning, and loaded with beef. It has the texture of chili with the flavors of a great taco bowl. You can even serve this soup over a bowl of rice!

How do you make homemade Taco Seasoning Mix:

4 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder and onion powder

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, transfer to a small jar to store. You can also check out the recipe with a video tutorial by clicking this link.

How do you make Taco Soup?

For exact ingredients measures and steps, check out the recipe card below. Also, see the recipe video tutorial attached for easy step by step guidelines. But the general steps are as follows:

In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add the beef and do not stir for about 4-5 minutes, to get a nice sear on it, this will add more flavor to the beef.
Start breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula and continue cooking until done. Drain excess fat.
Add onion, peppers, garlic, and taco seasoning, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
Next, add the chopped green chiles, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir to combine.
After that, add black beans, corn if using, and pinto or pink beans. Stir to combine.
Last, add the beef broth and stir to combine.
Cover and simmer the soup on low heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve garnished with your favorite toppings.

How to make Slow Cooker Taco Soup?

Making it in the crockpot is equally delicious. Also, it is simple, as you dump the ingredients and let the slow cooker do its magic. Because the ingredients cook slowly over a longer period of time, the flavors are just amazing. Actually, making it in the Slow Cooker will result in the BEST Taco Soup!

Simply, brown the ground beef with onion and garlic, in a large skillet and drain the excess fat. Transfer the browned beef to a large slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. You can find the full recipe here.

How to make Taco Soup in the Instant Pot?

I have a delicious, easy recipe for you, check this Instant Pot Taco Soup for all the details.

What to Serve With Taco Soup?

This dish is amazing on its own, and is best served warm on a cold day! We love serving it with a bun or a slice of bread, tortilla chips and cheese or fluffy dinner rolls.

Also, if your taco soup is more of an appetizer or the first course for a dinner party, it is perfect served before Chicken Enchilada, Best Taco Dip, or Chicken Quesadilla.

For the best garnish and toppings, we love going with:

Cubbed bacon
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Sliced Jalapeno
Fresh tomatoes
Pico de gallo
Salsa
Sliced avocado
Green onion
Cotija Cheese
Cornbread

CAN I SUBSTITUTE BEEF WITH OTHER MEATS?

Absolutely! Feel free to make this homemade Taco Soup with other meats such as ground chicken, or turkey. Also, it will even work great with ground pork. If you wanted to make it vegetarian you could use lentils or another can of beans.

Can I use vegetable broth to make this taco soup?

Yes! You can use vegetable broth, chicken broth or beef broth. All will work just fine in this recipe, always use low sodium broth.

How to make lime zest?

Follow these easy steps below:

First, rinse the lime.
Next, set your tool over a cutting board. A microplane produces a very fine zest, perfect for baking and cooking. If you don’t have a microplane, use the smallest holes on an ordinary grater.
Then, grate the green skin of the lime only. Grate just enough to get through the green skin, this way you can avoid the bitter white pith underneath.
Rotate the lime and repeat. Once the white pith is exposed, rotate the lime and zest the next strip of peel. Repeat until most of the peel is removed, or until you have enough zest for your recipe.

HOW TO FREEZE TACO SOUP?

Use quart bags to freeze the soup.
Then, transfer the soup from the pot into the bags using a cup.
Squeeze out excess air and seal the bags.
Lay bags flat in the freezer.
The bags can nicely be stored in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.

HOW TO THAW FROZEN TACO SOUP?

To thaw the soup, remove it from the freezer the night before serving, or put the sealed soup bag in a large bowl or casserole dish filled with warm water, to thaw it faster.

Looking for more hearty Soup Recipes? Check these out:

Recipe Tips:

We prefer to use lean ground beef, and simply brown and drain any fat. Also, as stated above, you can swap it with ground turkey, chicken, or even pork.
Homemade taco seasoning is a favorite for this recipe but store-bought version works as well here.
First, try using a variety of tomatoes (tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes) is what will give the soup an amazing flavor.
Also, use high quality canned tomatoes, I like San Marzano canned tomatoes when I can get my hand on some.
Use fresh garlic as the jarred garlic or garlic powder will not add the same flavor.
Adding different types of beans is also key, as they have different texture and taste.
However, if you only have one type of beans on hand, you can use that only.
In addition, add as much beef broth as you prefer. If you prefer the soup extra thick, like a chili, add less. I would say since this is the last ingredient, you can easily adjust the quantity. The tomatoes will also release some liquid once simmered.
The Worcestershire sauce is optional, you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand, but it is added to enhance the beef flavor.
I suggest using green and red bell peppers, but you can use the ones you have on hand.
Use fresh lime zest as it will add extra freshness to the soup, and it works great with the acidity from the tomatoes.
If you don’t like a spicy soup, omit the jalapeño topping. Or, if you want it extra spicy, just add some extra jalapenos!