Quick and Easy Taco Soup
Love tacos? Then you’re going to love this quick and easy weeknight taco soup. This adaptable recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and can easily be made vegan.

Is there anything cozier than a bowl of soup in winter? And then any excuse to squeeze more taco dishes to the menu and you can count me in.
Add in the fact that this taco soup is a one-pot dish and requires a measly ten minutes of work without compromising on flavor are two more reasons why you’ll love it too!
Ingredients
You probably have everything you need to make this right now because a majority of the ingredients are pantry staples with a few fresh ingredients thrown into the mix. Here’s what I used:
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Ground beef.
- Onion – yellow or white.
- Taco seasoning.
- Beef broth.
- Bell peppers – I used green and red for a fresh pop of color, but any color is fine.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Kidney beans.
- Frozen corn – for ease.
How to Make Taco Soup
In a dutch oven or soup pot, you cook the onion first for 1-2 minutes to build flavor before adding the ground beef and cooking it until it’s browned. Stir in the taco seasoning and cook for another minute.
Then, you’ll add in the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for 30 minutes. It’s that easy.
Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this taco soup using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No ground beef? – you can sub ground chicken or turkey instead.
- No onion? – use shallot or the white part of a leek instead.
- No beef broth? – chicken, mushroom, veggie, or water in a pinch, but for an extra boost of flavor use broth.
- No fire-roasted tomatoes? – just used regular diced tomatoes and also a couple shakes of smoked paprika
- No kidney beans? – substitute black beans or pinto beans in their place.
- Make it vegan – add 2 additional cans of beans of choice in place of the meat.
Equipment
- chef knife
- cutting board
- 5-quart dutch oven or soup pot
- measuring spoons
- can opener
- liquid measuring cup
- wooden spatula
Frequently Asked Questions
Taco soup is pretty thick on its own, if you make it any thicker, it’ll have more of a have a chili consistency. So, if this is what you prefer you can add in more vegetables or additional beans. Alternatively, you can use less broth.
Let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1 week or several months in the freezer.
Taco soup is really great served with toppings such as shredded cheese, cilantro, a dollop of cashew cream or regular cream, or thick, unsweetened yogurt. You can also serve it with chips either to scoop up the soup or to crush some on top.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Quick and Easy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1½ tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 green bell pepper, cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, cubed
- 28 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1½ cups frozen corn
Toppings
- shredded cheese
- cilantro
- cashew cream
- chips
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, cook the onion for 1-2 minutes to build flavor. Then add the beef, breaking it up with a wooden spatula and stirring occasionally until browned.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and cook for another minute before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes.
This is delicious and every bit as easy as Lindsey says it is. Used shredded cooked chicken rather than ground beef. So good!
Shredded chicken sounds amazing – great idea! Thanks, Vicki!