This great taco soup is low in fat and calories but is “kicktail” spicy with a ton of taste plus it is thick enough to be called taco chili. You won’t believe this fits your diet.
Publishing Note: Originally Published: January 13, 2012, Last Updated: January 12, 2018, This recipe was republished about one year ago. But I felt it should be part of my Week of Soups. I’m buffing up the wording some, but the photos were fine. Please give it a try. First published January 13, 2012, so some comments may be older. DrDan
The main complaint about most taco soups appears to be the mild spices. Most recipes start by cooking some burger and then dumping into a crock pot with the taco seasoning. The spices are minimal, to begin with, and then diffuse into the liquid, so the meat has little if any flavor.
I started with a modified version of my spicy taco meat. I bumped it up and add a little jalapeno. I added all the spices to the meat when cooking so it would keep some flavor and not have it all washed out in the soup. Excellent, just right.
This is the sixth soup in my “Week of Soups.” A personal favorite.
Pre-Week of Soup Recipes
Week of Soups Recipes
My Rating
It is only a 1-5 scale, but this is a 6. I loved it. A personal favorite
Recipe Notes on Taco Soup
I looked at a lot of recipes and really can’t claim an “inspired by.” This Paula Deen recipe had ranch dressing powder as did several others. It added an interesting taste, a little cool to oppose the heat of the jalapeno. I recommend it, but it is optional.
I wanted to be lazy and not pay any attention to this, so I went the slow cooker route. You could do this on the stovetop in a couple of hours or a dutch oven in an over for a couple of hours.
This is a thick soup as published but if you want a very thick chili-like result, leave out the beef broth.
This is 6/10 on the heat-o-meter. I thought it would be hotter. Add more spices or another jalapeno if you want to burn.
Ingredients for Taco Soup.
Prep one jalapeno by mincing and a medium onion with a medium chop.
Combine 1 lb lower fat ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat. Cook and break up the beef.
While beef is starting to cook, combine the spices 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
When beef and onion has cooked for 6-8 minutes and just browned, drain fat. Add the spices and about half the can of tomato sauce. Continue to cook until beef is well browned. About 10 minutes total cooking time.
Add beef to the crock pot. Rinse 1 can black beans, and one can of kidney beans and add to the pot. You may substitute any beans you want.
Add all remaining ingredients: 1 small can green chilies, two cans diced tomatoes, 1 – 14oz can tomato sauce, the diced jalapeno, one-half envelope of dry ranch dressing mix (optional), and a 14 oz can of beef broth. The beef broth may be omitted if you want this thick.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12 | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 360 minutes |
|
|
| This great taco soup is low in fat and calories but is "kicktail" spicy with a ton of taste plus it is thick enough to be called taco chili. You won't believe this fits your diet.
|
- 1 lb ground beef lower fat 90% or better
- 1 onion medium chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne less to decrease the heat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 oz green chilies
- 14 oz black beans rinsed
- 14 oz light kidney beans rinsed
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- 14 oz beef broth Optional leave out if you want very thick
- 1/2 envelope ranch dressing powder Optional
- Prep one jalapeno by mincing and a medium onion with a medium chop.
- Combine 1 lb lower fat ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat. Cook and break up the beef.
- While beef is starting to cook, combine the spices 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
- When beef and onion has cooked for 6-8 minutes and just browned, drain fat. Add the spices and about half the can of tomato sauce. Continue to cook until beef is well browned. About 10 minutes total cooking time.
- Add beef to the crock pot. Rinse 1 can black beans and one can of kidney beans and add to pot. You may substitute any beans you want.
- Add all remaining ingredients: 1 small can green chilies, two cans diced tomatoes, the rest of the tomato sauce, the diced jalapeno, one-half envelope of dry ranch dressing mix (optional), and a 14 oz can of beef broth. The beef broth may be omitted if you want this thick.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
This is 6/10 on the heat-o-meter. Remove the jalapeno for less or add more spice if you want to burn.
The Ranch dressing powder gives an interesting "cooling" to the taste even with the heat of the jalapeno.
________________________________
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Originally Published
January 13, 2012
Last Updated
January 12, 2018
Vickie
Thank you. Appreciate the quantity breakdown information, good to know for the future.
GREAT suggestion on the lemon bars. Looks easy!
Vickie
Vickie
Want to make this for a “girls” weekend, ” “, meaning we are way past that age designation, but what the heck, you are only as young as you feel.
Just want to make sure this recipe really does feed, more than 2-4. There will be 5 of us, and if it’s as good as it sounds, I’m sure there will be seconds, all round!
Have a great celery, fennel, and green apple salad with a walnut Dijon vinaigrette that I think would make a great accompaniment to this soup.
Looking for a light lemon-y desert, any ideas?
DrDan
The total volume is 12-14 cups. So a bowl of soup is considered 1 1/2 cups so 8 plus bowls. Also look at the lemon bars. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/yummy-lemon-bars/
Have a good weekend.
Dan
Karen
We love, love, love this recipe! Thanks for republishing; reminds me that I haven’t made it in awhile.
DrDan
Hi Karen,
I couldn’t do a soup week without it. You will notice a slight change in technique. I drain the meat just as it is barely browned before the spices. I found that I was doing it that way. I wanted to get rid of the fat but not drain any spice. Before, I wasn’t draining.
Thanks for the note and enjoy the soup.
Dan
Jim Comer
I am a big chili lover and love to try different recipes. Will try this for sure in a crock pot for 6 hours. Correct. Jimmy C.
DrDan
Hi Jimmy, 6 hours on low is fine. You can do 8 like most other chili recipes but not really needed.
Dan
marms
This looks great although I have no idea what “Kick tail” means. Must be an Americanism.. I’m making a version of this today, with what I have. or as a friend of mine says “what you got”. I virtually never make a recipe the same as what I see, or the same way twice, because “what I got’ varies. I do have cayenne pepper, chipotle hot pepper powder, Anjou fresh peppers and chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Yee haw. What will mine be called? Canuck Woman’s What You Got Chili.
Other substitutions here: Bison, and because it’s so lean I add lots — 1/4 cup at least, olive oil, and I will use half the amount of beans, or maybe none and more vegetables. ZUcchini for sure, I see one looking forlorn in my vegetable bin.
Thanks again for another superb recipe.
DrDan
All chili should be to use what you got just like soups. But I remember reading some Mark Bittman recipes that say just use what you have. I was more inexperienced then and it gave too little guidance to the beginners who are the majority of my readers. You have been around cooking enough to feel comfortable adding and subtracting. All recipes are just guidelines anyway.
Kick Tail is an old Americanism meaning excellent or great. I suspect it is too old of a phrase to use here and I may change the recipe name.
Dan
Mishele
Looking forward to trying this recipe … Garlic powder is on the recipe twice, is this a typo or does it in fact call for 2 tsp of powder?
Thanks,
DrDan
Garlic Powder only once so 1 teaspoon only. Fixed and thanks for the proof read.
Dan
Chris
Wow, a 6? That’s high praise and it looks wonderful. The ranch dressing is an interesting spin, I hadn’t tried that before.