Taco Soup

While this isn't going to turn into a food blog, I am going to use it to catalog recipes that Jeremy and I enjoy. We're trying to cook more and eat out less, so any recipes that are easy and good will go into our monthly rotation.

Jeremy's mom made this soup while we were in Memphis, and it was very yummy. It is a good compromise between Jeremy and my beliefs on chili. He's always had chili with beans in it while I believe that a real chili does not include beans. This soup is hearty like chili but because it is not actually chili, Jeremy can have it with beans.

The recipe can be anything you have on hand, and you can add more or less of things as you have in your pantry. Also, it could be much spicier with the addition of green chilies or jalapenos, but Jeremy does not like super spicy foods, so our soup was on the mild side.

1-2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion finely diced
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 medium can stewed tomatoes, chopped
3 medium cans beans (kidney, pinto, chili)
1 medium can corn, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing

I sauteed the onions and the meat together and drained the meat. I left some of the fat because I used a very lean beef. Dump in seasoning packets and mix well. Add in tomatoes and beans. I drained the beans but not the tomatoes. Draining the chili beans also cut down on the spiciness. Add drained corn and simmer. I added about 2 cups of water as well because the soup was thick like chili and not so much like soup. Simmer until heated through and flavors well blended. Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Note: This makes a lot of soup. Our soup pot is a 5 quart pot, and it was completely full before we added the water.