This is THE BEST taco soup recipe, full of taco-inspired ingredients like black beans, pinto beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper and more. It’s super flavorful and all of the ingredients create the ultimate, crave-worthy taco soup!
About This Recipe
This taco soup recipe is full of fresh flavors. It’s a satisfying soup that’s described as a cross between Mexican taco-inspired flavors and chili.
It’s a taco in a bowl!
This recipe is ideal as a weeknight dinner, meal prep for the week, or to cozy up with on a cold day.
- Flavorful: this recipe is full of ingredients that give it lots of depth of flavor: everything from bell pepper to beef broth to some fresh lime juice — it all works perfectly together.
- Beef: this recipe is made with a pound of beef. The beef is the most important part of the recipe and it’s what makes this a taco soup instead of a bean soup!
- Taco flavors: you’ll add herbs and spices to this recipe that are similar to that of taco seasoning. This is where the soup gets its taco flavor.
How to Make Taco Soup
The full recipe for our version of the best taco soup is at the bottom of this page, but here’s a quick step-by-step overview:
Step 1: Saute The Onion
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute for 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 2: Cook the Beef
Add the ground beef to the pot along with the salt and pepper. Crumble and cook for 5 – 8 minutes, until browned and mostly cooked through. Drain excess fat. Add the bell pepper and garlic to the pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Step 3: Simmer Your Soup
Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes (undrained), tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Step 4: Add Remaining Ingredients
Add the black beans, pinto beans, corn and lime juice. Stir and simmer 3 – 5 more minutes over medium heat, until heated through. If desired, add ½ cup more beef broth or water to thin your soup.
Step 5: Add toppings & serve!
Serve warm. Optionally, add toppings like cilantro, sour cream, and cheddar cheese along with a side of tortilla chips.
Helpful Tips for This Recipe
- Add more broth to your soup: at the end of the recipe, if you’d like to thin out your soup, add ¼ cup more beef broth (or water) — or as much as you like until your soup reaches the desired consistency.
- Make it spicy: to make this recipe spicy, add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with the other herbs & spices.
- Prep your ingredients: this is a simple recipe that uses lots of ingredients at once! Take all of your ingredients out and prep them before starting the recipe for the best use of your time.
Best Taco Soup
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
THE BEST taco soup, full of taco-inspired ingredients like black beans, pinto beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper and more. It’s super flavorful and all of the ingredients create the ultimate, crave-worthy taco soup!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained (or frozen corn)
- 1 lime, juiced
For serving (optional)
- Cilantro, chopped
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pot along with the salt and pepper. Crumble and cook for 5 – 8 minutes, until browned and mostly cooked through. Drain excess fat.
- Add the bell pepper and garlic to the pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes (undrained), tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the black beans, pinto beans, corn and lime juice. Stir and simmer 3 – 5 more minutes over medium heat, until heated through. If desired, add ½ cup more beef broth or water to thin your soup.
- Serve warm. Optionally, add toppings like cilantro, sour cream, and cheddar cheese along with a side of tortilla chips.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: soup, taco, beef
If you like this recipe, you’ll love our popular (and similar!) one: Best Chicken Tortilla Soup. It’s full of flavor, healthy, and ready in about 30 minutes.
Was delicious. Will make again. Yummy