Taco Soup

With all this cold weather, it has made me want to stay in and have Thad make one of his famous fires and have some chili. So I was on the hunt for a good but different Chili recipe. I love Paula Deen and even have a monthy subscription to her magazine and you can even ask my husband, I cherish it and read it cover to cover.

So I found Paula's recipe for Taco Soup and it sounded so yummy. I decided to make it for Saturday night dinner and it was a hit. After making it though it was more of a Chili consistancy and not a soup consistancy. But a great recipe....Paula never lets me down.

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles (was scared to add both but tasted so good)
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet and then drain the excess fat. Transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Then start opening cans one by one and adding the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. I found that the longer the ingredients have to simmer and marinate the better the taco soup tastes. I got some corn chips and placed them in the bottom of a soup bowl and then poured the soup on top adding some cheese as a tasty garnish. You can also top with sour cream, olives, green onions and jalapenos. It was so yum and made for great left-overs.

This Taco Soup recipe was so easy and made a lot. The Ranch and taco seasoning added a different flavor and gave an average Chili recipe a bit of a twist. This is a must try.

Adapted from Paula Deen (Foodnetwork)