This Quick and Easy Taco Soup satisfies the whole family with very little effort. It’s the perfect delicious weeknight meal for busy families.
Magic Soup
You know that feeling when you find an easy dinner recipe that everyone in the family eats with enthusiasm? It’s magic! Well, let me introduce you to Quick and Easy Taco Soup.
It’s as close as you get to a ‘dump and go’ recipe without using a crockpot. If you’ve got 30 minutes, you’ve got dinner! And one that not a single family member will object to. Everyone loves it!
In the fall, I love to make a skillet of my Sweet and Simple Cornbread to serve with it. It feels so hearty and comforting! This soup also makes a great addition to your game day menu. It’s popular with a crowd and so easy to make in a big batch.
Sometimes I like to make it without the added beef broth and serve it with tortilla chip scoops for dipping. It’s hard to go wrong!
What Do I Need to Make Taco Soup?
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion, chopped
- Ground beef
- Packaged taco seasoning mix
- Packaged Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup beef broth
- Canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (I use Rotel)
- Canned kidney beans
- Canned pinto beans
- Canned stewed tomatoes, chopped
- Canned hominy
- Canned whole kernel corn
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Chopped green onions
- Tortilla chips
How to Make Easy Taco Soup
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks.
- Stir in the taco seasoning mix and ranch dressing mix until well combined with the browned meat.
- Add all remaining ingredients (do not drain the liquid from the cans).
- Bring the soup to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until heated through.
How to Serve and Store Taco Soup
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Store any leftover taco soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
To freeze taco soup, allow it to cool completely before storing in a plastic freezer-safe container. This storage container set is my absolute favorite because it has various sizes for storing different amounts. The smaller container are great for freezing individual portions to defrost and enjoy for lunch or a snack. The larger containers are great for freezing family meals or larger dishes.
Click here for more tips on freezing your favorite foods.
Can I substitute…
The very best thing about this recipe is how flexible it is. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started making a quick and easy recipe only to find I was missing an ingredient. Don’t have pinto beans? I’ve made this with ranch beans instead! I regret nothing.
Want to substitute black beans for kidney beans? Go right ahead! It will still taste wonderful. Because this soup is magic. Also, in the case of very picky eaters who get weird about chunks of things (🙄), you can run the Rotel and the stewed tomatoes through a food processor. You can thank you me later.
More Soups the Whole Family Will Love
- Tuscan Tortellini Soup is a comforting one-pot meal that’s perfect for a chilly winter day. It’s so easy to make and is bursting with delicious Tuscan flavors.
- Baked Sweet Potato Soup loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and onions for the ultimate in comfort food!
- Or try a homemade take on Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Tortilla Soup that tastes even better than the original and that you can enjoy year-round (and even on Sundays)!
If you make this Quick and Easy Taco Soup, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Quick and Easy Taco Soup
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
This Quick and Easy Taco Soup satisfies the whole family for very little effort. It’s the perfect delicious weeknight meal for busy families.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 and 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
- 1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (I use Rotel)
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can hominy
- 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
Topping Options:
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Chopped green onions
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Stir in the taco seasoning mix and ranch dressing mix until well combined with the browned meat.
- Add all remaining ingredients (do not drain the liquid from the cans). Bring the soup to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until heated through.
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, and tortilla chips.
Hello Meagan!
Told your dad today, at Pickleball , that I was making this for dinner tonight and he highly recommended it! He also suggested that I try your husband’s chili sometime!
I have one question however, after browning the meat, do you drain the grease? I was always taught to do this, but I’ve seen many recipes do not address this and I’m not sure what to do…though I tend to want to eliminate that fat!
Hope you and your family are well!
Your dad is a delight!
Joanne
Hi Joanne! It’s so nice to hear from you! I know my dad sure enjoys playing Pickleball frequently with y’all. It brings him so much joy!
When I use ground beef for a soup or chili, I don’t usually drain off the grease. I tend to buy lean beef so there’s usually not a lot of grease to drain off. I also brown our meat to the point where it is starting to crisp so a lot of the grease has evaporated by then. The grease does add a lot of flavor so if there’s a little, I would recommend not draining it off, but if there’s a lot of grease after your meat is browned, you most certainly can drain it off and proceed with the recipe. I hope this helps and that you enjoy!
xoxo,
Maegan