Creamy Beef Taco Soup

Creamy Beef Taco Soup satisfies those taco cravings when a one-pot meal suits your desired level of effort come dinnertime. This is one of those easy taco soup recipes that prioritizes using canned ingredients to expedite the cooking process.

Tacos are fire, but there are times when I want that classic taco flavor without the to-do of prepping and setting out all of the components.

This Creamy Beef Taco Soup achieves that goal in a one-pot wonder - seasoned ground beef, tender black beans, sweet pops of corn, and rich tomato goodness all combined into one hearty soup. A smidge of cream cheese lends a subtle creaminess, which ups the cozy factor another notch. This beefy, creamy taco soup recipe is the perfect vehicle for crispy tortilla strips.

Looking for some more hearty soups or chilis for meals? One of my favorites is this White Chicken Chili and I think you will love my Pinto Bean Soup too! Another one to try is this Venison Soup Recipe.

Ingredients

Don’t let the number of ingredients fool you - there’s not a lot of prep work required, thanks to the use of canned, ready-to-use ingredients. There are also suggestions for shortcuts in the Substitutions section if you need to further lessen the time investment.

• Canned goods, including - Ro-tel diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, and vegetable broth. Reach for your pantry and you've got a solid quarter of your ingredients. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes here instead of Rote; fire-roasted tomatoes are my go-to when I don’t have Ro-tel on hand. Navy beans and garbanzo beans can be used in place of black beans, or try hominy instead.
• Vegetable broth - Use chicken or beef broth instead. Or, make your own, like this Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth. 
• Ground beef - I kept it simple with group beef, but you can use another protein like ground pork or ground chicken. Or if you'd rather not use a meat protein, try adding more beans, like pinto beans, to the mix.
• Veggies - yellow onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves. I can't help but sneak some fresh veggies in; use a mandolin to make quick work of the onion and bell pepper.
• Seasonings - ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper (optional, to taste). A handful of seasonings, from bold smoky ancho chili powder to earthy cumin, brings flavor to the ground beef and resulting soup. In lieu of the seasonings called for in this recipe, you could use 1-2 tablespoons of a homemade taco seasoning mix. The resulting flavor will be similar. 
• Cream cheese - Lends richness and creaminess to the resulting soup.
• Toppings - such as grated cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, sour cream, lime juice or zest, or tortilla strips. 

If you like this soup recipe, you should also check out this Black Bean Soup, which contains similar ingredients.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!

Variations to Make It Spicy + More!

Try these variations to achieve spicy Taco Soup perfection.

• Add 2-3 finely diced jalapenos; leave the pith for extra heat!
• Add a few dashes of cayenne pepper and/or red pepper flakes.
• Finish with a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce - I tend to reach for OG Tabasco.

Here are some other changes you can make!

• Vegetarian. Make a vegetarian version by leaving out the meat and add an additional can of black or pinto beans. 
• No bean taco soup. If you'd prefer to leave the beans out of your taco soup, go for it! I would recommend replacing it with something since you are omitting around 15 ounces of beans - why not replace the beans with zucchini or sweet potatoes.
• Creamier. If you want the resulting soup to be a little less chunky, blend one can of the Rotel before adding. This adds a creamier body to the soup. You could also add in more cream cheese than is called for in the recipe.

How to Make Beef Taco Soup

Take the cream cheese out of the fridge first so that it has time to soften while you prepare the Taco Soup.

1. Cook the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir it to break it up until it’s cooked through. , around 7 minutes. Add the ancho chili powder, cumin, and paprika as the meat cooks. Strain the excess fat off into a separate container and spread ground beef onto paper towels.

2. Cook the onion and green pepper in a little of the strained beef grease for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional minute, stirring the whole time.

4. Add the strained corn and black beans to the pot along with the Ro-tel diced tomatoes and vegetable broth to the Dutch oven. Heat to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes.

5. Add the cream cheese to a bowl along with some of the soup liquid.

6. Stir until the cream cheese has completely melted in. You can use a blender if you’d like to speed up this process.

7. Add the melted cream cheese mixture to the soup and stir to combine. Remove soup from heat. Give it a taste and season the soup with salt and pepper as needed.. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla strips!

Hint: Strain the ground beef well after it finishes cooking. Let it rest on paper towels while the peppers and onions cook to remove as much excess grease as you can. You don’t want too much oil to get into the resulting soup. 

More Tex Mex Recipes to Try

If you tried this Beef Taco Soup recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!