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Beef Taco Soup

Beef taco soup with a deep Tex-Mex broth, simmered until richly flavored and topped with cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeños, and cilantro. Ground beef, beans, corn, and diced tomatoes come together in one pot for an easy weeknight-style bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef base
  • 1.5 lb ground beef 80/20 for best flavor
Vegetables and aromatics
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 4 garlic minced
Beans and vegetables
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Seasonings and broth
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 4 cup beef broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Toppings
  • cheddar shredded
  • sour cream
  • tortilla chips
  • jalapeños
  • cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, then drain the fat.
  2. Continue heating just until the beef is no longer pink, keeping the pot hot so it browns instead of steams.
Sauté aromatics
  1. Add the onion and green bell pepper to the same pot and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened.
  2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn’t brown.
Build the Tex-Mex seasoning
  1. Stir in the taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika, and cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.
  2. Keep stirring until the mixture smells fragrant and coats the meat and vegetables.
Simmer the soup
  1. Add kidney beans, black beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and beef broth, then bring to a boil.
  2. Simmer for 20 minutes so the broth becomes deeply flavored, stirring occasionally.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste right before serving.
Serve
  1. Serve the soup loaded with cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeños, and cilantro.

Notes

For the best texture, don’t skip draining the fat after browning the beef—this keeps the broth from turning greasy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in a pot over medium heat, adding a splash of broth if it thickens. Freezing is yes—freeze soup (without toppings) up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge. For a lower-fat swap, use 90/10 ground beef and consider reducing the toppings that are easiest to overdo (cheddar and sour cream).