Easy Taco Soup ( Too easy to taste so good)

[gwpercle]

What to do with leftover chicken or turkey . We had a lot of dark meat turkey left over from Thanksgiving and Christmas in the freezer . I made stock with the bones and all was in the freezer . I was looking for something other than turkey gumbo last Sunday night and thought about the Taco Soup my mom used to make .
It was so easy to make and so good tasting I had to post it .
This makes enough to feed at least 6 hungry people and it sticks to your ribs .

Ingredients
1 - 2 Tablespoons butter
1 small - medium onion chopped
2 - 4 cloves fresh garlic
4 cups stock - chicken or turkey - (homemade or out the box is fine)
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning (1 ounce McCormick Original Taco seasoning pkg.)
1 - 15 ounce can Whole Kernel Corn
1 - 15 ounce can Black Beans - rinse and drain if you like
1 - 15 ounce can Chili Beans (red beans)
1 - 7 ounce can medium fire roasted Green Chiles diced (you can use hot)
1 - 15 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 - 10 ounce can mild Rotel Tomatoes w/Green Chilies (you can use hot)
2 - cups diced cooked turkey or chicken meat ( you can add more if you like)
Toppings :
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Grated Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:
In a large dutch oven soften the chopped onion in the butter ( 5 mins.) , add chopped garlic and cook 1 min.
add the stock and all the ingredients listed except the cooked chicken/turkey and toppings and simmer on medium for about 45 mins . Add cooked turkey or chicken and simmer another 30 mins . Add more stock ( or water) if necessary .
Turn off fire and let rest 15 mins.
To Serve : place a few tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl , fill bowl with hot soup and cover top with grated cheese and large dollop of sour cream ...eat along with more chips on the side .
Opening the cans is the hardest part , a great tasting easy fixing recipe .
Stores well in refrigerator and freezes well .
Tonight we are having the leftover soup we didn't eat Sunday or Monday night... it taste better the next day . The secrete is good flavorful stock ... if you must use water , season it with chicken and onion base , the kind in the jar .
This tastes a lot better than I expected it to ... a lot easier than making a pot of Gumbo !

Gary :)

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It sounds great! Will give it a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

DG

[gwpercle]

You are Welcome DG !
I know it doesn't look like much , but you don't need to know how to cook , it's filling and the taste is all out of proportion to what it should be.
Last night the wife and I finished off the leftovers and I think it taste better and ejoyed it more than my other old standby recipe "Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup" .
A kid off in college can fix a big pot and feed himself and a bunch of buddies quite nicely .
Gary

[T-Bird]

I'm gonna make this!

[gwpercle]

I'm gonna make this!

Let us know what you think .
My Daughter came over Sunday and one of the things she commented on was how really good that simple little recipe was and that she almost liked it better than a bowl of Chili ...
I was kinda thinking the same thing ... very filling and if you don't have time to make Chili ...this stuff will do nicely .
Remember to use a good flavored stock ... it can come out of a box !

It's cold here ... a bowl of hot Taco soup , Chili or Gumbo would be nice tonight !!!
Gary

[Sig]

Sounds awesome! Just did a copy/paste to my recipes.
Thank you

[Sig]

Just made this tonight. I smoked some chicken thighs & diced those up. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you Gary!

[ripshod]

Much better than I expected for as simple as it was.I will definitely make this again.Thank-you

[gwpercle]

To Sig , ripshod and anyone else who tried & liked this recipe ...

I'm glad you all enjoyed it ... it gets better the second day and it freezes well .
I also think it would be good made with browned ground beef or ground venison .

Nothing better than a quick easy meal that taste really good... and can be made with just about any meat on hand . Throw it together and impress friends and family especially if you don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen honing your cooking skills .
Gary

[gwpercle]

I want to Thank MaryB for making this Taco Soup recipe appear in our Cook Book Section .
I have no idea how that magic is performed , but it saves me a lot of re-typing !
Thanks Mary , this round's on me :drinks: !
Gary

[MaryB]

Copy and paste! LOL I have 2 tabs open to this forum and have the cookbook open and this and just copy it over!

[T-Bird]

I made this today. I grilled the chicken thighs, it made about 4 cups of chopped chicken, the rest I did exactly as written. I agree with gw, this is better than it ought to be. To me, it didn't need any additional seasoning (I seasoned the chicken before I grilled it). That says a lot, I like a lot of seasoning. Wasn't able to use McCormicK taco seasoning no one here has it. I used Old El Paso. I can't imagine it mattered. (so I guess that's not EXACTLY as written :smile:)

[gwpercle]

I made this today. I grilled the chicken thighs, it made about 4 cups of chopped chicken, the rest I did exactly as written. I agree with gw, this is better than it ought to be. To me, it didn't need any additional seasoning (I seasoned the chicken before I grilled it). That says a lot, I like a lot of seasoning. Wasn't able to use McCormicK taco seasoning no one here has it. I used Old El Paso. I can't imagine it mattered. (so I guess that's not EXACTLY as written :smile:)

I'm glad you enjoyed it !
Taco seasoning is Taco seasoning ... any brand will do , I would call it exactly as written .

I have a sneaking hunch any of them "seasonings " in a packet ... Taco , Burrito , Enchilada or Chili ... would taste just fine ... I also think if you didn't have a pre-made packet on hand ...simply use Chile Powder , Garlic Powder , Onion Powder and Cumin and would make a fine seasoning ...just pretend you are making a pot of Chili ! The pre made seasoning packet is just for convience , nothing to measure , no jars of spices to fool with ... this recipe is all about Easy .

Don't forget ... it freezes well and it taste even better the next day .

Thanks for posting , I enjoy hearing about a successful recipe ! :drinks:
Gary

[T-Bird]

I'm glad it freezes well, there's 2 of us, it made about a gallon of soup. I'd feed this to people!:smile: I tell this to my wife when we have something good and she always says: " you are feeding it to somebody-- ME!":) I agree about the seasoning packets, they are probably all close the the same thing. Felt I needed to clarify at the end of my last post, I hate looking at recipe reviews that say that they didn't have half the ingredients in the recipe so they did this and that and they loved it- they didn't even cook the dish they were reviewing. Anyhow

[gwpercle]

I'm glad it freezes well, there's 2 of us, it made about a gallon of soup. I'd feed this to people!:smile: I tell this to my wife when we have something good and she always says: " you are feeding it to somebody-- ME!":) I agree about the seasoning packets, they are probably all close the the same thing. Felt I needed to clarify at the end of my last post, I hate looking at recipe reviews that say that they didn't have half the ingredients in the recipe so they did this and that and they loved it- they didn't even cook the dish they were reviewing. Anyhow

Whatever you do ... don't do what I did the very first time I made it ...
I doubled the recipe ...Yep ...Two Cans of everything ... you need a crowd ...
That will feed twenty people easy ... the wife and I have a freezer ...thank The Good Lord !
So I discovered frozen in a tight container it will keep for a year and still be good .
Gary

[MaryB]

If you roll your own keep in mind most of the taco seasoning packets have a thickener of some sort... often masa flour. Masa flour can be found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores, make sur the expiration date is a ways out because it can go rancid. I put it in a glass canning jar then in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.

Masa flour also works very well to thicken chili, just make a slurry using some of the cooled off cooking liquid or beer or water... then stir it in slowly, a couple drops at a time or you will get a masa flour dumpling! As you add stir fast/add the slurry slowly. Just like making gravy with corn starch or arrowroot powder.

Masa flour does add flavor and sweetness!

[T-Bird]

That's a great idea, I have masa for making tortillas, next time maybe. I do make my own chili powder but I've got some "taco seasoning" that I use that I also make that I use for fajitas etc. I could use that and then add the masa. I didn't know commercial taco seasoning had a thickener.

[gwpercle]

If you roll your own keep in mind most of the taco seasoning packets have a thickener of some sort... often masa flour. Masa flour can be found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores, make sur the expiration date is a ways out because it can go rancid. I put it in a glass canning jar then in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.

Masa flour also works very well to thicken chili, just make a slurry using some of the cooled off cooking liquid or beer or water... then stir it in slowly, a couple drops at a time or you will get a masa flour dumpling! As you add stir fast/add the slurry slowly. Just like making gravy with corn starch or arrowroot powder.

Masa flour does add flavor and sweetness!

Yes ...you are right ! I forgot how adding the commercial packet (McCormic brand) did in fact thicken it up nicely . I use masa harina Flour to thicken Chili and mixed with AP flour for frying fish , oysters and shrimp ...corn meal is too gritty but the Masa Flour would be just the thing .
I can't make chili with out the Masa Flour thickener and that flavor it adds ...
Thanks Mary ... for the reminder ...the thickener and flavor is important !
Gary

[gwpercle]

I'm fixing the Taco Soup recipe for supper tonight ... but using a pound of browned ground beef in place of turkey or chicken .
It has to simmer another 45 mins ... but it sure does smell good .
I'm glad it freezes well because it makes enough to feed a bunch of people .
Cold outside and it will be good tonight !
Gary

[Shiloh]

Easy is good!!|

Shiloh


What to do with leftover chicken or turkey . We had a lot of dark meat turkey left over from Thanksgiving and Christmas in the freezer . I made stock with the bones and all was in the freezer . I was looking for something other than turkey gumbo last Sunday night and thought about the Taco Soup my mom used to make .
It was so easy to make and so good tasting I had to post it .
This makes enough to feed at least 6 hungry people and it sticks to your ribs .

Ingredients
1 - 2 Tablespoons butter
1 small - medium onion chopped
2 - 4 cloves fresh garlic
4 cups stock - chicken or turkey - (homemade or out the box is fine)
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning (1 ounce McCormick Original Taco seasoning pkg.)
1 - 15 ounce can Whole Kernel Corn
1 - 15 ounce can Black Beans - rinse and drain if you like
1 - 15 ounce can Chili Beans (red beans)
1 - 7 ounce can medium fire roasted Green Chiles diced (you can use hot)
1 - 15 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 - 10 ounce can mild Rotel Tomatoes w/Green Chilies (you can use hot)
2 - cups diced cooked turkey or chicken meat ( you can add more if you like)
Toppings :
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Grated Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:
In a large dutch oven soften the chopped onion in the butter ( 5 mins.) , add chopped garlic and cook 1 min.
add the stock and all the ingredients listed except the cooked chicken/turkey and toppings and simmer on medium for about 45 mins . Add cooked turkey or chicken and simmer another 30 mins . Add more stock ( or water) if necessary .
Turn off fire and let rest 15 mins.
To Serve : place a few tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl , fill bowl with hot soup and cover top with grated cheese and large dollop of sour cream ...eat along with more chips on the side .
Opening the cans is the hardest part , a great tasting easy fixing recipe .
Stores well in refrigerator and freezes well .
Tonight we are having the leftover soup we didn't eat Sunday or Monday night... it taste better the next day . The secrete is good flavorful stock ... if you must use water , season it with chicken and onion base , the kind in the jar .
This tastes a lot better than I expected it to ... a lot easier than making a pot of Gumbo !

Gary :)

[725]

thanks, sounds great.

[gwpercle]

Sunday a week ago I made another batch of Taco Soup ... but substituted :
1 - lb. ground beef (in place of 2 cps. cooked turkey meat)
4 cups boxed chicken stock (in place of my home made Turkey stock)
1 - 1.62 oz. pkg. McCormick BURRITO seasoning mix (in place of Taco seasoning)

And it came out great ... the Burrito seasoning taste just like Taco seasoning .
When using the ground beef and eating it with tortilla chips ...it tasted like eating a good Taco salad w/o pesky lettuce . A different taste than with Turkey but a good one.
Next time I do ground meat I might try beef broth / stock and see how that tastes .

Ground venison would go well in this dish too !
Gary

[725]

Made this last week. Very good. Always looking for recipes for the hunting camp and this will be one. So many cans involved, it will be easy to take back into the cabin and if I pre-cut and vacuum seal the onions & garlic at home, it'll be a no fuss deal to prepare over the camp stove. Keep 'em comin'.

[gwpercle]

Made this last week. Very good. Always looking for recipes for the hunting camp and this will be one. So many cans involved, it will be easy to take back into the cabin and if I pre-cut and vacuum seal the onions & garlic at home, it'll be a no fuss deal to prepare over the camp stove. Keep 'em comin'.

Glad you enjoyed it !
Good hunting camp recipe for sure . I was getting tired of chili and this recipe although chili like is different ... sticks to your ribs too .
For ease of prep I keep small bags of PictSweet chopped frozen Onions , celery , bell pepper mix in the freezer ...one small bag is just the right amount and all the chopping is done for you .

You got any Hunting Camp Favorites ?
Gary

[T-Bird]

As I said before, this tastes better than it ought to!

[T-Bird]

Found some in the freezer, had it last night! 1 batch fed us 4 times. Think that finishes the first batch. We don't eat much soup in the summer, next fall....

[Shiloh]

Made this last month, going to do it next week.
It feels like November here. Cold weather comfort food.

Shiloh