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Bowl of taco soup with sliced avocado and tortilla strips on top.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

This hearty, comforting, and healthy Taco Soup recipe is about to become your best friend! Make it for a weeknight family meal or when hosting a crowd. Everyone can customize their bowl with their favorite Mexican toppings, too.

Yield: 6 servings 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 6 hoursTotal: 6 hours 15 minutes
Units:
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (sub: ground chicken or turkey) (where to find meat you can trust)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 34 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 1 store-bought packet)*
  • 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, juices and all (Tip: Use fire-roasted tomatoes for more flavor.)
  • 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis, juices and all
  • 1 (11 oz) can shoepeg white corn, drained (sub: yellow corn)
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (sub: pinto beans)
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup mild or medium salsa* (recommend: Medium Mateo’s Salsa)
  • Juice of 1 lime, plus more lime wedges for serving if desired
  • Optional Toppings: Shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, salsa, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, diced red onion, sliced green onions, hot sauce

*The spice level of this soup is determined by the type of taco seasoning and salsa you choose.

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Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper while they cook.
  2. Add in ground beef and garlic and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the meat is cooked through (5-7 minutes.) Drain the grease from the meat.
  3. Add the meat mixture, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, green chilis, corn, beans, broth, and salsa to a crock pot and stir until combined. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours).
  4. Add in juice of 1 lime and stir. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm with your favorite Tex Mex toppings.

Freeze For Later:

Option 1 (Before Cooking): Follow Steps 1-2. To a gallon-sized freezer bag or container, add the taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, green chilis, corn, beans, broth, salsa, and the meat/onion mixture (once it has cooled down a bit). Seal tightly, squeezing out excess air, and freeze.

Option 2 (After Cooking): Follow all of the cooking instructions in the recipe. Let the soup cool and then freeze in airtight freezer containers.

Prepare From Frozen:

Option 1 (Before Cooking): Let the soup thaw completely using one of these safe methods. Follow Steps 3-4.

Option 2 (After Cooking): Let soup thaw completely. Then just warm up in the microwave, on the stove on low, or in the slow cooker on low, until warmed through.


Notes/Tips

Instant Pot Version: Try our Instant Pot Taco Soup recipe.

Stovetop Version: Try our similar big-batch Mexican Soup recipe.

Double the Batch: This recipe is very easy to make a double batch of, especially if you have a 6 quart crock pot. Then, freeze the leftovers for another meal.

Where We Get Our Ground Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves. Read my honest ButcherBox review.

© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Slow Cooker