Nik’s Taco Soup

So I didn’t invent Taco Soup. I just want to put that out there. I try my very best only to claim what I truly believe to be my own inventions (like I think Taco Casserole is all me…I had never heard of it before I made it…but I invite you all to prove me wrong on that one!). In fact, I got the idea to play with this recipe from a Foodie, Teddie, whose version I published a few months back. Her pic is SO much better than mine. Lookit:

I decided to play with the version because the divas and I are into spicy food. No…scratch that. We are into REALLY spicy food. So I decided to make a version where I spice it up a bit! Plus, in my house hauling out the crockpot is a major affair (it’s stored in the basement) so I wanted to come up with a “weeknight” version of this recipe.

As I was looking at different variations, I found that there are many, many, MANY ways of making taco soup. Some of you make it with beef tips or chicken meat in a slow cooker (as Teddi’s recipe calls for) and folks tend to put a MULTITUDE of toppings on it. In my estimation, that makes taco soup a PERFECT “play with your food” kind of recipe.

Here’s how I made this recipe my own. I call it taco soup. The kids call it “Taco Chili.” Whatever you call it, it’s YUMMY!

Nik’s Rendition of Taco Soup
(This made about 6-ish “Nik-size” servings)


Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 lb. ground meat of your choice 
• 1 can each of:
• Dark red kidney beans
• Light red kidney beans
• Black beans
• 2 cans of tomatoes & chiles (I used regular heat, you can also use mild OR just plain diced tomatoes)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• Optional: A dash of either cayenne pepper or ground chipotle powder if you like spicy food
• Possible toppings (the possibilities are endless): shredded taco-blend cheese, unflavored Greek yogurt, black olives, red onions, crushed whole wheat tortillas (for the fam). In fact, you could just make the soup and put out a “bar” of toppings. That’d be fun!