Taco Soup!

This is one of our favorite soups and it's so quick and easy to throw together.  I usually cook it on the stove, but you can also brown your ground chuck and put everything in the slow cooker and let it go on low for 6 to 8 hours.   I like to serve this with various toppings in bowls for garnish and just let everyone fix theirs like they like it.  The toppings I use are usually things you would normally eat on a taco, but feel free to use whatever you and your family like.

I had a recipe for taco soup that I have always used, but one of our 'Sweet Tea and Cornbread' readers was sweet enough to send me her recipe and I thought I liked parts of it better, so this is her recipe with a little of mine combined and it turns out delicious.


 Here is what you'll need:

1 - 1 1/2 lb. ground chuck, browned
1 medium onion diced
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
1  15 oz. can tomato sauce
2  15oz.  cans Ranch style beans (can use chili beans, pinto beans or black beans)
1  15oz. can yellow niblets corn, drained or 1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen corn
3 cups of water
dash of black pepper
dash of garlic powder

Garnishes
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
sliced olives
jalapenos
Frito's or tortilla chips
green onions
fresh cilantro

Brown the ground beef along with the onion until the beef is browned.  Drain any excess grease.

Add all of the other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Stir and turn heat down to simmer and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes.  The flavor improves the longer it simmers.  If you want to  do this in the slow cooker, brown the beef and onion, drain and place along with all of the other ingredients in the slow cooker.  Reduce the water to 2 cups.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I like to serve this soup with various garnishes on the side so everyone can fix it the way they like!