Tasty Taco Soup — The Slow Cooker Sunday

Cody is on day five hundred and seventy-one. Week seven of the writing program was Wednesday. The author this week was a poet named Jamal Reese, and the workshop was on rhythm in prose. The exercise was a one-page in which sentence-length variation does the structural work. I wrote a one-page about a Saturday morning at the Sonic. Marcus Wells said the piece had the rhythm Jamal had been talking about.

And the recipe Sunday was tasty taco soup, the slow-cooker set-and-forget that the recipe roundup in the Family Feast post called the easiest soup of the year. Ground beef browned, into the slow cooker with a packet of taco seasoning, a packet of ranch dressing seasoning (the trick), two cans of beans, a can of corn, two cans of diced tomatoes, beef broth. Low for six hours.

The math: a pound of ground beef $1.99, taco packet $0.49, ranch packet $0.69, two cans of beans $1.58, a can of corn $0.59, two cans of diced tomatoes $1.58, beef broth from bouillon. Total: about $6.92 for three dinners.

The technique is the dual-packet seasoning. The ranch packet is the underrated ingredient — the buttermilk and herb notes round out the taco-meat flavor and give the soup a creamy depth without dairy.

Mama said, eating, baby, this is the kind of soup people on Pinterest claim is the easiest in the world and they are right.

The recipe is below. The trick is the ranch packet plus the taco packet — do not skip the ranch.

Tasty Taco Soup

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing mix
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cups beef broth
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced green onions

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until no pink remains, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Add garlic and seasoning. Stir in the minced garlic, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour in both cans of diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, corn, and beef broth. Stir everything together to combine.
4. Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the soup thickens slightly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, or whatever you have on hand.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 870mg