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Large pot of Mexican soup with sliced limes, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro on top.

Crowd Pleaser Mexican Soup

Super easy Mexican-inspired soup recipe. Packed with flavor, very filling and makes a TON. Great recipe for large groups. Freezer friendly as well!

Yield: 12 servings 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 35 minutes
Units:
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 lbs lean ground beef (or sub ground chicken or turkey) (where to find meat you can trust)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt (Sub: 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt)
  • 4 tablespoons taco seasoning, or more to taste
  • 2 (15 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes, juices and all (Tip: Use fire-roasted tomatoes for more flavor.)
  • 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles, juices and all
  • 2 (11 oz) cans shoepeg white corn, drained (sub: yellow corn)
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 quart of chicken broth
  • 1 cup mild salsa (use medium if you like spice!)
  • Optional Toppings: Shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, salsa, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, squeeze of fresh lime, red onion

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Instructions

Make It Now

Stove Top Method:

  1. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of the 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. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper while they cook. 
  2. Add in garlic and ground beef 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. Stir in the garlic salt, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, green chiles, corn, beans, broth, and salsa to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes*, stirring occasionally. 
  4. Optional: Serve with your favorite Tex Mex toppings.

*Note: Polly’s mom’s original version says to cook it even longer, about 1-2 hours, but you may have to add in more broth to thin it out.

Slow Cooker Method:

  1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the 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 garlic and ground beef 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 and all other ingredients (except the toppings) to a 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
  4. Optional: Serve with your favorite Tex Mex toppings.

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Set the 6-quart Instant Pot to “Sauté.” Pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil and 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 garlic and ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the meat is cooked through (5-7 minutes.) Press cancel. Drain the grease from the meat.
  3. Add all other ingredients (except the toppings) to the Instant Pot. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, then quick release the pressure. 
  4. Optional: Serve with your favorite Tex Mex toppings.

Freeze For Later

Option 1 (Before Cooking): Cook the onions and beef, then stir in the rest of the ingredients, and freeze the uncooked soup in an airtight freezer container.

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. Then follow the cooking instructions for whatever cooking method you choose in the recipe above.

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

Gluten-Free Version: Make sure any store-bought taco seasoning or broth is labeled gluten-free. 

Dairy-Free Version: Omit cheese and sour cream as a topping.

Where We Get Our 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.

You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for ground beef. 

No garlic salt? No problem. Substitute 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt

Shoepeg White Corn can be hard to find. Substitute yellow corn if you can’t find Shoepeg.

You can use mild or medium salsa. While I’ve never used hot, I think it would add too much intensity.

© Author: Polly Conner
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Stove Top