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For this delicious recipe for Easy Taco Soup I used just a few beans and more ground beef to make it surprisingly low in net carbs! If you’d prefer a no-bean Taco Soup, see the link to my version made in the Instant Pot that’s low in carbs; both these soups are equally delicious!

PIN the recipe for Easy Taco Soup to make it later!

Easy Taco Soup bowl of soup with sour cream, avocado, and grated cheese on the side

There are some recipes that become favorites just because they’re simple and use ingredients you usually have on hand, and this Easy Taco Soup that I first made years ago is a family-friendly soup I’ve made over and over for parties. I adapted the recipe from A Pinch of Salt Lake (affiliate link) a classic old cookbook published many years ago by the Junior League of Salt Lake, and my version is equally delicious with fewer carbs.

Almost as fun is eating this Easy Taco Soup is the story of how I got the cookbook as a gift from a third-grade student named Nathan. I’d always wanted the book, so when he showed up at school with it one day, I was quite excited.

In the honest way kids have he said, “My mom didn’t think she’d ever use it.” Recently I saw Nathan’s mom in the grocery store and we realized it was more than 15 years since he was in third grade, which shows how long I’ve been making this soup!

And I know lots of people love making slow cooker or Instant Pot soups, but when the weather starts getting cold, I so love making a pot of soup on the stove. And this delicious and Easy Taco Soup only needs to simmer about 45 minutes and it’s ready to eat!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What gives this easy soup the taco flavors?

Spices like Mexican oregano, ground Ancho chile powder, ground cumin, and Chili Powder give this taco soup such great taco flavors!

How did I make this Easy Taco Soup recipe lower in carbs?

In this updated version, I cut down the pinto beans to only one can and increased the amount of ground beef, which made this into a taco soup recipe with about 11.8 net carbs per serving!

Want Easy Taco Soup without Beans?

If you prefer a low-carb taco soup without beans, check out my Instant Pot recipe! That soup can also be made on the stove if you prefer.

Easy Taco Soup process shots collage

How to Make Easy Taco Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the ground beef, and cook until the meat is well-browned.;
  2. Put the meat in the soup pot.
  3. Add the other teaspoon of olive oil to frying pan, add the onions and cook until they’re soft and barely starting to brown. Add the garlic, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, ground Ancho chile, and chili powder, and cook about a minute, until the spices are fragrant.
  4. Add the onion mixture to the soup pot. Rinse out the pan with one cup of beef broth and add that to the soup.
  5. Add the rest of the beef broth, canned tomatoes, and beans to the soup. 
  6. Let soup simmer on low 45 minutes, adding a little water if needed.  
  7. When the soup is done, stir in desired amount of lime juice. You can also add some Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) if you’d like it a bit spicier!
  8. Serve hot, with things like cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado to add at the table. Corn chips are good in this if you’re serving it to kids!

Easy Taco Soup overhead shot of soup in bowl with sour cream, avocado, and grated cheese

More Tasty Soup with Beans:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Easy Taco Soup has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Easy Taco Soup bowl of soup with sour cream, avocado, and grated cheese on the side
Yield: 8 servings

Easy Taco Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

This recipe for Easy Taco Soup was always a big hit when I made it for my annual New Year’s Day soup party, and I know your family will love it too! And I've updated the recipe to have fewer carbs without sacrificing any flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp. + 1 tsp.  olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped small
  • 1 T minced garlic (more or less to taste)
  • 2 T dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
  • 2 T ground cumin
  • 1 T ground Ancho chile powder
  • 1 T chili powder
  • two 14 oz. cans beef broth, (see notes)
  • two 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
  • one 15 oz. can pinto beans (see notes)
  • 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (more or less to taste)

Optional Toppings to add to the soup:

  • diced avocado
  • grated Mexican Cheese Blend Cheese
  • sour cream 
  • If you're making this for kids, they'll love it with Fritos. 

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in frying pan, add ground beef and cook until well browned, breaking into small pieces with turner as you cook it. Remove beef to large soup pot.
  2. In same frying pan heat second tsp. of olive oil, add onions and and saute until onions are starting to soften and brown, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, Mexican Oregano, cumin, Ancho chile powder, and chili powder and saute about 1 minute, or until the spices are fragrant.
  4. Add onion mixture to the soup pot, then rinse out the frying pan with 1 cup beef broth and add that to the pot.
  5. Add the rest of broth, canned tomatoes, and can of undrained beans.
  6. Let soup cook at very low simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if it cooks down too much.
  7. When the soup is done, stir in desired amount of lime juice. You can also add some Green Tabasco Sauce if you'd like it a bit spicier!
  1. Serve hot, with toppings as desired.

Notes

If you don’t have ground Ancho Chile just use more regular chili powder.

You can use 3 1/2 cups homemade beef stock if you have some.

Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.

Recipe adapted from A Pinch of Salt Lake. (affiliate link)

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 371Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 5.8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7.8gCholesterol 101mgSodium 913mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 6.2gSugar 3.6gProtein 39g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Soups & Stews
Easy Taco Soup thumbnail image of finished soup with toppings

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The new lower-carb Easy Taco Soup uses more beef and only one can of beans, which makes it a delicious low-carb soup; this soup has 11.8 net carbs per serving. With low fat ground beef, this would be fine for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would recommend low-fat cheese and sour cream if you’re using those toppings.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index  to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Easy Taco Soup was first posted in 2006! It was updated with better photos as a lower carb version in 2014. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

Pinterest image of Easy Taco Soup

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