Taco Soup

Today is perfect...weather wise that is. I love days like today, the sun is shinning, and it's a cool 65 degrees. Today was made for me. As I was scrolling though Facebook statuses this week I saw a recurring theme - people talking about it being cold and having to turn the heat on. Even though I understand that there are some people that actually like hot weather, I am not one of them. Thankfully Abby and Jason agree with me.

So in a effort to warm up all you cold bodies out there I thought today I would share with you the recipe for Abby's favorite soup - Taco Soup. It's really more of a chili, but since "soup" is what Abby calls it, "soup" it is. This is probably the easiest homemade soup ever, and tasty too - perfect for a "cook" like me. She requested this for lunch today and wouldn't accept a substitute, it was the perfect lunch for a perfect day. 

Taco Soup

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chili beans

1 can water (will usually use the chili bean can to get all those lovely spices)

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)

1 can diced tomatoes (we like the kind with the green chilies in it)

1 can tomato sauce

1 packet of Ranch seasoning mix

1 packet of taco seasoning

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a pot until cooked through, drain extra grease if necessary. Rinse all the beans, except for the chili beans. Once the beef is cooked through add all the remaining ingredients. Cook until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Now, every time we make this (and we do make it often) there are subtle differences, we have yet to make a batch that is exactly the same. For example, one time I got "extra spicy" taco seasoning - that made the whole thing hot, hot, hot - luckily a nice dollop of sour cream calmed it down a bit. We've also added some green chillies and changed up the type of beans we put in. All the cans are typically of the 8 ounce variety, but sometimes I'm feeling a bit more tomato-y, so I pull out the 16 ouncer. Here's the bottom line - I have yet to mess this soup up beyond recognition, so have fun and add what you feel like. 

There are about as many options when it comes to serving the soup as there are in making the soup. I like to crush some tortilla chips in the bottom of my bowl before I pour the soup in. Then I top it with come shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Jason likes his chips on top and then he'll add the cheese. He also keeps a bit of chili pepper handy, incase he needs a bit more zip. Now Abby, she just likes it straight, no frills for her. Give her a big bowl and she's a happy camper. 

So, enjoy, and hopefully this will help some of you stay a bit warmer in this "cold" weather!

Yum!