Wednesday Night Dinners: Taco Soup

It's been a while since I posted a recipe for a Wednesday night dinner.  I realized I'd been remiss when someone asked for the recipe for this week's dinner and suggested I post them online.  I mentioned that I do, but realized it's been way too long.  So, here's this week's Awana dinner:

TACO SOUP

Taco soup is an easy, crock pot recipe that hit's the spot on a cold winter's day.  It's also great for football parties, tailgating, etc.  We usually serve it with grated cheese, sour cream and onions for garnish and corn chips on the side.  It's also great with cornbread, which is what I made this last week to go with it.  What's also nice about this recipe is that it's totally customizable and can be made really low calorie by using lean ground turkey, instead of beef and using a bit less of it (1 lb, instead of 2) and watching the calorie content on the beans you use (yes, beans have different calories--sometimes widely varying!).  Made following these directions, this recipe is approximately 250 calories per serving (that’s if you divide it into 12 LARGE servings and use 80/20 beef…less if you have a more moderate serving or use leaner beef)*.

2 pounds ground beef  

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 cups water

1 (15 ounce) can mild chili beans

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers   

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.  Or, after browning & draining the meat, combine all ingredients into a crockpot, cooking on low or high depending on the time you require before eating it.  

You may garnish with cheese, sour cream, onions, etc.  Serve with corn chips or corn bread!

*All calorie calculations are approximate.  I calculate calories by adding the total calories for each ingredient together and dividing by the number of servings the recipe makes.