Sneak in the Veggies Taco Soup

Submitted by MuddyMommaPottery

"There are other versions of taco soup out there, this is mine and we love it. my kids eat this up and it's loaded with veggies. serve this with cheese quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas for a great kid loving healthy meal. Ingredient amounts are very flexable here. put in what you like, leave out what you don't. you can also add zuchini, greenbeans, peas, whatever will fit into your crock pot. i've even added cactus to this - YUM! this is a very economical filling meal and it freezes great. you can also stretch this further by adding cooked rice at the end if you'd like. i freeze this in individual portions in my soup bowls lined w/ plastic wrap. when frozen i pop it out of the bowl and into a large ziploc bag and store in the freezer. when somebody wants a bowl of soup we pop the frozen soup back into the bowl and nuke till hot."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, venison)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
• 2 cups cabbage, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped (about a cup)
• 1 (16 ounce) can corn, drained (frozen is good too)
• 1 cup salsa (i use mild pace)
• 2 -3 teaspoons beef base (see note) or 2 -3 teaspoons bouillon (see note)
• 2 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix (to taste)
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, can use garlic powder
• 1 cup tomato juice (optional) or 1 cup vegetable juice (optional)
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, diced (optional)
• salt and pepper

directions

1. cook the ground meat in a skillet seasoning w/ salt and pepper to taste and drain. (you can also used left over diced meat, just throw that in the crock pot. whatever you have on hand works great here).
2. put all ingredients in the crock pot. add water until everything is just covered. be careful, my crock pot is pretty full by now!
3. give it a stir, put on the lid, and cook on low.
4. cooking time depends on your crock pot. some cook at a higher temp than others and will take less time. i have an old rival and i put my soup on in the morning and it's perfect by dinner time.
5. you can also make this on the stove in about an hour.
6. right before serving adjust seasonings and salt and pepper to taste.
7. note- if you use bullion cubes this can get a little salty so be careful! and we like lots of seasoning in this so we use 2 full packs of taco mix.

Reviews

[Gerry]

A good soup and everyone enjoyed. Being a soup loving family liked that this made a large pot with enough to freeze portions for future meals. Was a great way to use up the veggies in the fridge. Made using ground beef,mild salsa, the 2 packages of Taco seasoning along with the cup of tomato juice. And yes some green chillies! Next time around thinking to cutting back on the package of ranch dressing mix or not adding it.Agree that this is a very flexible recipe - want to try chicken and a variety of vegetables. Thank you for sharing.