Taco Soup Tuesday

Colder weather means soup meals at our house. Potato soup, vegetable soup, homemade chicken noodle with vegetables, stew, and of course, taco soup.

There are all kinds of recipes floating around for this super easy dish, but while I was working full-time, I made up my own simple and quick one.

You may be wondering about the photo. I discovered this gem a couple of years ago. Completely plant-based, lower calorie, and much healthier than ground beef. Fully cooked. I use the crumbles in soups, including chili, tacos, sloppy joes, and spaghetti. Very nutritious and great for weight loss. Easy on the kidneys (you’re not supposed to eat red meat if you have kidney disease). Warning: if you don’t eat much fiber, this could be a jolt to your system. It says 3 grams of fiber, but I guess with the beans and the crumbles, it is more potent than that.

Here is my easy soup recipe that is completely ready in 15  minutes (with the crumbles) or less than 30 if you go the conventional route.

Ingredients:

1 large can of tomato juice

1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)

1 can of yellow or shoe peg corn, drained

1 can of black beans, rinsed well and drained

1 small can diced green chiles

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip/dressing mix (for an extra kick, get spicy fiesta)

1/2 bag of Grillers Crumbles (size pictured), or 1 pound of ground chuck (browned and drained well) or small package of chicken tenders (boiled until no longer pink inside then drained, cooled, and shredded)

Directions:

In a large pot, add juice, corn, beans, onion, taco seasoning, and ranch mix. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to medium. Stir occasionally while cooking.

If using ground beef or chicken, cook while soup mixture is thickening.

After about ten minutes, add the Grillers Crumbles (or ground beef or shredded chicken) and raise heat to medium high. Cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Add undrained green chiles.

Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread, top with grated cheese and/or sour cream if desired.

Note: I use tomato juice because my sons never liked the chunks in canned tomatoes. I, however, like the extra texture, so I sometimes add a small can of undrained diced tomatoes.

 

 

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