7 Can Taco Soup in the Crock Pot

I saw this recipe last month at Deep South Dish and was certain that it would make an appearance in my kitchen. If you've been reading this blog for long, you know that I'm a big fan of Mary and her kitchen creations. This is a hearty, flavorful soup made even better by a variety of fixins' piled on top. If you use lean ground beef and drain off the fat, this makes for a lowfat dinner, packed with dietary fiber and nutrients. I decided to begin this recipe on my stove top and then finish it in my crock pot so that I could walk away and forget about it til' dinnertime. This makes a ton of soup, which is perfect for us because I could package a portion for my husband's lunch tomorrow and put the rest in the freezer for a quick meal on another day.

To begin, I started with 1 lb. of ground beef and a cup of diced onion. Brown the beef with the onion, then toss in 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for a minute or two longer.



Then add in a packet of taco seasoning and a packet of ranch dressing mix.



Now transfer the seasoned beef mixture to the crock pot and dump in can after can of goodies: diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chilies, more green chilies, and a variety of beans-kidney, chili, pinto (or whatever you like), and corn. I think that next time I'll pour in a jar of my homemade salsa too. Cover it with a 32 oz. box or can of beef broth and stir it all together. Put a lid on it and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.



Check it out!



When dinner time rolls around, ready your toppings. I used whatever I had in the kitchen today: avocado, cilantro, tomato, and sour cream. I also grated some Cojita cheese that I purchased for a green chile pesto that I'm making next week. Oh yeah, and some crushed tortilla chips too. Mary made her own homemade tortilla strips. You can check that out HERE.



This is one "souped up" soup!



Stir it up a bit and enjoy!



7-Can Taco Soup
Adapted from the Kitchen of http://www.deepsouthdish.com

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 cup of chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 envelope of ranch dressing mix
1 envelope of taco seasoning mix
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can of Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 can of green chilies, undrained
4 cups of beef broth or stock
1 can of chili beans, undrained
1 can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
Finely shredded cheddar,pepper jack, or cojita cheese, for garnish, optional
Chopped fresh tomato, for garnish, optional
Diced avocado, for garnish, optional
Shredded lettuce, for garnish, optional
Chopped cilantro, optional
Broken corn chips, optional
Sour cream, for garnish, optional

Cook the ground beef and onion in a skillet until beef is browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the ranch dressing and taco seasoning packets and cook and stir for another minute. Transfer to your slow cooker. Add the un-drained, diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, and green chilies, beef broth, undrained chili beans, drained and rinsed kidney beans and pinto beans, and drained corn. Cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.

Serve with a sprinkle of cheese, chopped tomato, diced avocado, tortilla chips, green onion, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream, or your own favorite toppings, if desired.