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This Easy Taco Soup Recipe has all the hearty flavor of classic beef tacos in the convenience of a one-pot, comfort food meal. Ready in 30 minutes, it’s the perfect family-friendly weeknight dinner!
Customizable to fit a variety of flavor preferences and dietary needs, this simple taco soup recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, and Whole30-friendly.
The Best Easy Taco Soup Recipe
We celebrate Taco Tuesday pretty much every week with different recipes like our oven baked beef tacos, Instant Pot taco meat tacos, and taco salad. However, when the weather gets cold, I like to shake things up with this taco soup recipe!
Not only is it delicious, offering all the savory, spiced goodness of classic beef tacos, but it’s super quick and easy to make, meaning dinner couldn’t get any easier. Not to mention, I pack in a few hidden veggies that are seasoned with the meat so picky eaters don’t even realize they’re there.
Prepare a big batch, and finish off your bowl with a variety of your favorite taco toppings! Go ahead and make an extra batch, too, because leftovers store and reheat well for meal prep throughout the week. I guarantee this recipe will be an instant favorite in your home!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
*Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient list!
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil will also work if preferred.
- Ground Beef: Use lean ground beef, or substitute lean ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Veggies: Onion, green bell pepper, garlic cloves, zucchini, and canned diced tomatoes add lots of color, flavor, and nutrients to the soup.
- Seasonings: I use a combination of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground cumin, fine Himalayan sea salt, and black pepper. However, you can also substitute store-bought or homemade taco seasoning!
- Black Beans: Feel free to omit the beans if needed. Or, use pinto beans or even frozen corn instead.
- Beef Broth: This gives the soup a rich flavor base, but you can also use chicken or vegetable broth.
Where I Buy Meat
- 100% Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Beef
- Free-Range Organic Chicken
- Humanely Raised Pork
- Wild-Caught Seafood
Delivered to your door! The latest ButcherBox deal can be found right here!
How to Make Taco Soup on the Stovetop
- Brown: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Then, add the beef, and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking it into pieces.
- Sauté: Add the onion, pepper, and garlic, and cook until they begin to soften. Next, add the zucchini and all the spices, stir to combine, and continue to cook until fragrant.
- Boil: Add the beans, tomatoes, and broth, and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Simmer: Next, reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer until the zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Season: Adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve warm with your favorite toppings!
Kitchen Tools I Use
Topping Ideas
This easy taco soup recipe is plenty flavorful on its own, but you can never go wrong with toppings, right? Some of our favorite additions include:
- Shredded Cheese
- Scallions
- Tortilla Chips
- Diced Tomatoes
- Shredded Lettuce
- Sliced Jalapeños
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Sliced Avocado
- Hot Sauce
How to Store
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen taco soup in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat leftovers in 30-second increments in the microwave. Or, warm a large portion in a pot over medium heat on the stove. Feel free to add more broth as needed to loosen it back up!
FAQs
For a thicker consistency, you can try stirring in a cornstarch slurry of one part cornstarch to two parts water. Or, try mashing part of the beans!
I love to serve this simple taco soup recipe with tortilla chips! However, it’s also great with sides like jalapeño cheddar cornbread muffins, Mexican street corn salad, or a simple side salad.
We haven’t tested it but don’t see why not! Simply brown the beef and sauté the veggies in a skillet. Then, combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low or high until the veggies are tender and the flavors meld together.
More Easy Soup Recipes
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon fine Himalayan sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed well (optional)
- 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
Optional Garnishes
- Shredded Cheese
- Scallions
- Tortilla Chips
- Diced Tomatoes
- Shredded Lettuce
- Sliced Jalapeno
Instructions
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add beef and cook until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in zucchini and all spices and stir together and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.2 teaspoons olive oil, 1-1/2 pounds ground beef, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, 2 garlic cloves, 1 medium zucchini, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon fine Himalayan sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Add in beans, tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.1-15 ounce can black beans, 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes, 2 cups beef broth
- Taste and adjust spices as desired. Top with optional garnishes!Shredded Cheese, Scallions, Tortilla Chips, Diced Tomatoes, Shredded Lettuce, Sliced Jalapeno
This soup was so good! And filling! I served with sour cream, shredded cheddar and crunched up tortilla chips. Delicious!
I so look forward to trying this reciept. My son loves taco soup and I have never found a good receipt that I like.
Thanks for this recipe. I look forward to giving it a try! We use grass-fed ground beef typically because it’s a leaner meat. And of course we love Williams taco seasonings.
Great receipt, a friend made it for a birthday party and it was delicious so I made it for me. Great flavor. For all you who are in Texas and have an HEB close by, I used their bulk taco season made it even easier and tasted great.
Love! love! Love! I just made this tonight and it’s fabulous. I couldn’t find stewed tomatoes so I used a can of crushed tomatoes and ground turkey instead of beef and it is so hearty – great meal for a winter night!
Absolutely delicious! My 9 year old daughter and I made this together and it was absolutely delicious. I did a little less of the cayenne pepper and chili powder so it wouldn’t be too spicy for her. My husband and I enjoyed the soup, and for my 9 year old I served it with taco shells- so she ate 3 tacos because she loved it so much. Great, quick meal that we’ll certainly make again
How would you adjust for slow cooker?
Easy to make and tasted great! Def will play around with toppings 🙂
This was so easy and so good! I switched it up and used 1/2 lb of ground turkey + can of black beans to stretch it and replaced stewed tomatoes with fire-roasted tomatoes (plus a little water). Will definitely make again!