Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Looking for a delicious and low-calorie soup recipe? This Slow Cooker Taco Soup is packed with flavor! This healthy and hearty soup can feed a crowd and is a fantastic option for a filling lunch or dinner.
It’s a new year, which I know for many of us means a desire to make some smarter choices when it comes to eating. I am one of those people who completely overindulges during the holidays, so I very much feel you!
This Slow Cooker Taco Soup recipe is actually a recipe I’ve been making for over 15 years. This was actually originally made as a Weight Watchers Taco Soup recipe that my mom loved when I was in high school! This hearty soup has remained one of my absolute favorite recipes over the years.
This Slow Cooker Taco Soup is loaded with beans, ground turkey and tons of flavor. It’s also insanely simple to make and fills you up without weighing you down! I often make this soup on a Sunday to eat during the week. It’s also a great recipe to throw in the crockpot for a delicious dinner on busy weeknights.
It’s easy to portion, can be frozen and is perfect for chilly months. I love that this soup recipe can also be made with things we almost always have in our pantry.
Like many of the family-friendly recipes I share here, this soup is simple and fast to throw together. You start by browning the meat with a little olive oil in a large skillet, and then literally dump the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker. That’s it! If you are crunched for time you can also make this on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes.
Soup season is the best time of the year for our family. After a long day at work or wrangling the kids, some days the last thing you want to have to do is come home and make dinner from scratch.
This is the best taco soup recipe, and one of our family’s favorite slow cooker recipes because it’s so yummy and EASY. Want to mix it up for your next Taco Tuesday? Give this crock pot taco soup a try!
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Ways to Customize this Slow Cooker Taco Soup
This crockpot taco soup is so easy and practically goof proof. Picture it as a soup made up of all of your favorite taco toppings! It’s also incredibly easy to customize!
It starts with a base of black beans, kidney beans (you can also use chili beans or pinto beans), refried beans, canned corn (you can also use frozen), green chiles, and diced tomatoes, mixed with dry powdered ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning mix and water.
If you don’t eat meat just leave it out! If you like spicier food, add more spice. If you want more of a chili and less of a soup, don’t add the extra can of water. You can use almost any combination of beans you like and easily switch out the protein.
I personally don’t drain the canned veggies. I like the extra flavor it adds to the soup. I also recommend keeping in the small can of diced green chilies even if you are nervous about spice. The chiles get pretty watered down by all of the other ingredients, and truly add a nice flavor to the recipe.
I also don’t make this soup with any dairy, but it tastes amazing with cheese if you want to add it. I recommend 2 cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese or a medium shredded cheddar cheese. A few readers have even added cream cheese for a more creamy soup!
You an also finish this delicious soup off with extra toppings for an even more yummy meal! I recommend chopped cilantro, avocado slices, green onions, a little shredded Mexican cheese or a dollop of sour cream! Tortilla chips, flour tortillas or tortilla strips go great with this too.
This is a recipe the whole family will love, because each person can truly make it their own by adding extra toppings or spice to their own serving!
Here are a few more ideas to customize this easy slow cooker taco soup:
Protein: If you want this slow cooker taco soup to stay as healthy as possible, you’ll want to use 99% lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, boneless chicken breasts or ground chicken breast. If you’re not as concerned, you can use ground beef, ground sausage, diced chicken thighs or even a plant based imitation meat! This recipe makes a delicious chicken taco soup using leftover rotisserie chicken, too!
Vegetarian or vegan? Leave out the meat and just add an extra can of beans or another type of veggie.
Extra seasoning: Want more spice? Add crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, a Mexican-inspired hot sauce or enchilada seasoning!
Honestly this soup tastes even better the next day, and freezes really well too. I recommend that you portion it into individual servings in a freezer-safe container for the best results!
How to Make This Simple Slow Cooker Taco Soup
My personal preference is to make this soup in my slow cooker, as I don’t have to pay any attention to it once the ingredients go in! Making it in the crockpot also gives the flavors the most time to deepen as they combine. You can also make this taco soup on the stove top or in your Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker: I recommend cooking this soup on low for 4-8 hours.
Instant Pot: To cook this taco soup in your Instant Pot, select the soup setting for 8 minutes and then do a natural pressure release (not a fast one).
Stovetop: Once you’ve browned the meat, let the soup simmer on the stovetop for about 30 minutes. One note: if you’re using chicken breast, wait to add it to the soup until the last 10 minutes so it doesn’t overcook and dry out.
Love easy soup recipes? Be sure to also check out:
Easy Crockpot Sausage & Tortellini Soup
Sweet Potato, Bacon & Kale Soup
Creamy Garlic White Chicken Lasagna Soup
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Looking for a delicious and low-calorie soup recipe? This Slow Cooker Taco Soup is packed with flavor! This healthy and hearty soup can feed and crowd and is a fantastic option for a filling lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 1 oz packet Low Sodium Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
- 1 1 oz packet Low Sodium Dry Taco Seasoning
- 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Chiles
- 14.5 oz can Black Beans, low sodium
- 14.5 oz can Dark Red Kidney Beans
- 14.5 oz can No Fat Refried Beans
- 4 oz can Diced Green Chiles
- 1 can Corn, low sodium
- 1 can of water
- Chopped cilantro, avocado slices, shredded cheese and sour cream, (optional for toppings)
Instructions
- Sauté the onions for 2 minutes and then add the ground beef or turkey. Brown the meat, and then drain to remove the excess fat.
- Add ground beef/turkey mixture and all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-8 hours.
- Garnish with any extra toppings you would like, and enjoy!
Notes
- This soup recipe was adapted from the original Weight Watchers Taco Soup. If you want this slow cooker taco soup to stay as healthy as possible, you’ll want to use 99% lean ground turkey, skinless chicken breast or ground chicken breast.
- If you’re not as concerned about making this soup as low in calories as you can, you can use ground beef, ground sausage, diced chicken thighs or even a plant based imitation meat! You can also easily add in cheese or sour cream! Just add your choice of cheese at the end of cooking, or use shredded cheese and dollop of sour cream as a garnish while serving.
- This soup can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the meat but adding an extra can of beans. If you plan on doing that, I recommend adding an extra can of black beans.
- If you like your soups a little spicier, I recommend adding more crushed red pepper flakes during cooking. You can also add a Mexican-inspired hot sauce when you serve it too.
- If you plan on freezing this slow cooker taco soup, portion it into individual servings first for best results.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 828mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 11gSugar: 6gProtein: 31g
All nutritional information for recipes is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The information comes from online calculators and any information provided should be used only as a general guideline.
If you try this Slow Cooker Taco Soup, I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know how you customized it in the comments below.
I love this soup! It’s so easy to make and I was shocked how hearty it is for such a healthy recipe.
Ooh, this looks like a great option for busy weeknights. Thanks!