Taco Soup

Last week I sat down to look at the 10 day forecast and what I'm sure made some cringe gave me a bit of a thrill.  Autumn was peeking around the corner to let us know it's on the way.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Summer but living in the city where it's always 10-15 degrees hotter than other places, this summer was a cooker. Weather definitely affects my appetite and my cravings. Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to eat soup when it's hot outside.  When I saw that today's forecast was highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's with a chance of rain, I knew my favorite season was on the way and it was time to welcome back "soup weather".  In our house I'm not the soup chef. That title rightfully belongs to my better half.  He's a magician at creating his own stocks from the previous night's dinner protein and always seems to know just what vegetables and herbs will make the perfect soup.  I do, however, rival him when it comes to chili.  

This summer I ran across some "Fall Soup" recipes, one of which was a "Taco Soup".  It sounded interesting at first glance but after going over the recipe it kind of sounded like a watered down chili, which didn't sound appetizing at all.  The concept was a good one and with a little tweaking it just might be an addition to our soup menu.  The original recipe was quite simple and I wanted to keep that aspect while bringing it more in line of a soup and not a subpar chili.  The reaction at the dinner table from the master himself was very positive so I bring you my version of a Taco Soup.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef

1 large onion chopped

2 10oz cans of Beef Consomme

2 15oz cans of kidney beans

1 15oz can of corn

2 10oz cans of Ro-Tel Orignial Diced Tomatoes w/ Green Chiles

1 1/2 cups of water

1 packet Taco Seasoning

1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix

In a large skillet brown your beef and onion together until fully cooked. (That's about the only effort required for this soup beyond opening cans). Drain beef mixture and dump into a 6 quart stock pot.  Add in all other ingredients, no need to drain just open them up and dump them in. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

I served mine with a some tortilla chips and a spoonful of sour cream but go ahead and get creative with your favorite add-ins and ENJOY!!