30-Minute Taco Soup – A Quick Weeknight Meal

Need a quick weeknight meal or a great make-ahead option to feed a crowd? This easy recipe for Taco Soup should do the trick. Get it on the table in 30 minutes or less, and serve it with a variety of optional toppings so everyone can create a version they love.

Our family has enjoyed this taco soup recipe for many years — way back before kids even!

It was one of those recipes I created on a whim, after I realized we didn’t have enough tortillas to make tacos and we didn’t have enough lettuce for taco salads… so taco soup it was!

I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years, but it continues to be a family favorite — especially when I serve it with a variety of toppings and lots of chips!

If you love Mexican food, you’ll love this easy Taco Soup.

The best part is, you can get this meal on the table in no time… and the leftovers taste amazing!

Ingredients for Taco Soup

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion — diced
• 1 bell pepper — diced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with liquid — I often used petite diced
• 1 can (15 oz.) corn with liquid
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 jar (10-15 oz.) of your favorite salsa
• 1 lb. cooked shredded chicken or cooked ground beef/turkey
• 1 c. additional water or broth (optional)
• Shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips (optional toppings)

Ingredient Substitutions:

Please don’t not make this recipe because you’re missing an ingredient. And definitely don’t run to the store before considering if you can make do with a substitution. Here are a few ideas…

Oil – Feel free to use olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, bacon grease, coconut oil, or whatever other “fat” you have in the house.

Onions, Pepper, Garlic – This is a pretty classic Mexican combination for me, but if your family doesn’t like any of these, leave them out. You could also substitute 1 tsp. of garlic powder, a small can of green chilis, or even frozen peppers and onions, if that’s what you have in the house.

Seasonings – I prefer using my own blend of seasonings because I can keep it less spicy for the kids and keep my ingredient list a bit “cleaner”. However, you can easily substitute 1 package of your favorite taco or burrito seasoning mix if that’s what you have in the house.

Diced Tomatoes – it would be hard to have taco soup without any tomatoes, but you could reduce it to one can if you don’t love tomatoes. My kids have fewer issues with tomatoes if they are cut into tiny pieces, which is why I use the petite diced. Stewed tomatoes would also work, as would many of the pre-seasoned cans of tomatoes.

Corn – I like using canned corn, but frozen and fresh also work well. You could nix the corn too, if it’s not your favorite flavor.

Beans – I’ve seen taco soup recipes that call for kidney beans, white northern beans, and even garbanzo beans — but we like ours with black beans. Another option is to use a can of Chili Beans (with the sauce and seasonings already mixed in). You could likely skip all the seasonings then.

Salsa – this is a great opportunity to add a little heat to this recipe (if that’s what you like). We stick with mild salsa, but I have made it for guests with spicy salsa (we knew they liked spice), and it was a hit.

Meat – we love using shredded chicken for this recipe (I almost always have it in the freezer). However, taco soup tastes amazing with cooked ground beef and ground turkey. We’ve also had really good results with leftover pulled pork and beef brisket. Also, if you do not already have cooked meat in the house, just brown it up when you’re sauteing the onions, pepper, and garlic, and remember to drain it before adding it back to the soup.

Water or Broth – depending on how watery your salsa is and how thick or thin you prefer your soup, you may want to add another cup of water or broth once the soup has been simmering for a few minutes.

Optional Toppings – One of my favorite things about Taco Soup is all the fun toppings. You could keep it simple with a little sour cream and cheese, or you could go all out with crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and a variety of taco sauces to drizzle on top.

How to Make Easy Taco Soup

1. In a large Dutch oven or other large soup pan, heat oil over medium heat.

2. Sauté onions, pepper, and garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Add seasonings and continue stirring until fragrant (don’t let it burn).

4. Dump in tomatoes, corn, beans, and salsa. Stir until combined.

5. Add cooked meat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. Add additional broth or water, depending on how thick you like your soup.

7. Serve with optional toppings.

Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy within 7 days, or freeze for later.

Serving Suggestions for Taco Soup

Taco soup is a great buffet line meal for big crowds and parties. Simply put the soup in a slow cooker to keep warm, then line up all the toppings and let people mix and match to make their own creation.

I often make salad and bread to serve on the side… but if you’re short on time, simply serve it with big bowls of tortilla chips, Fritos, and/or Nacho Doritos, and you’re good to go!

If you don’t want to wash dishes, we like these super heavy-duty, large, compostable paper bowls when we serve big crowds. They hold a lot of soup and do not leak!

Can you Freeze Taco Soup?

Yes, taco soup freezes well — either in a large container to reheat later, or in smaller portions (perfect for quickly packing lunches!)

To freeze, you’d want to fully prepare the soup as directed above, let it cool to room temperature, then freeze in whatever portions you prefer.

This soup will last for months in the freezer.

To defrost, you can pop your frozen soup out of the container and into a slow cooker or soup pan to warm. It will likely take a couple of hours. Alternatively, you could defrost it overnight in the fridge, and then warm it on the stove or in the microwave.