This taco soup is a delicious blend of ground beef, vegetables and seasonings, all simmered to perfection and topped with all the taco fixings. An easy dinner option that’s kid-friendly and quick to make! Instant Pot, Slow Cooker and Stovetop instructions included!
UPDATED WITH INSTANT POT & SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS, AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL STOVE TOP RECIPE!
You can’t go wrong with a hot bowl of soup on a cool fall or winter day. My family always requests chicken zoodle soup, loaded cauliflower soup and this zesty taco soup. When the weather gets a little cool, this healthy taco soup becomes a weekly recipe. It cooks up thick and hearty, and is a total crowd pleaser. It would be perfect for a game day get together or any old busy weeknight! Don’t skip the toppings, though. They seal the deal!
Ingredients In Taco Soup
If you find yourself with a package of ground beef and no idea what to make for dinner, this is your recipe! It’s so easy to whip up and I usually have everything needed to make it. Plus, it tastes just like tacos! And that’s always a win in my book!
If you don’t happen to have everything to make this soup, consider adding what you need from the list below to your next grocery list. That way you have everything you need for this soup on hand and ready to go.
- Ghee or coconut oil
- Red onion
- 2 Bell Peppers (I used 1 red & 1 green)
- 2 lbs Ground beef
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne powder (optional)
- 2 4oz cans diced green chiles
- 18 ounces diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- Optional taco fixings for the topping
How To Make Taco Soup
One of the many things I love about this soup is that it can be cooked any way that you prefer and it has amazing flavor no matter which way you choose. I give instructions for cooking on the stovetop, in a slow cooker or in an instant pot. See the recipe card, below, for all of the detailed information.
For cooking on the stovetop, start by sautéing the onion, bell pepper, taco meat, and then add all of the seasoning. So easy! Then, add the rest of your ingredients and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes. So fast! Your soup is done and you’re ready to dig in. Add your favorite taco fixings like cilantro, black olives, sliced jalapeño, some crunchy plantain chips, and I highly recommend the dairy-free sour cream recipe from my eBook. SO GOOD!
Tips For Making Taco Soup
- I used ground beef, but feel free to use ground turkey or chicken instead.
- This soup works really well for meal prep because it gets tastier after sitting in the fridge for awhile and the flavors have a chance to marry together. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can also freeze any leftover soup for up to 2 months or possibly longer.
- Feel free to customize this soup based on ingredients your family likes best. This soup incredibly versatile.
- My favorite toppings for this soup include plantain chips, dairy-free sour cream, avocado, cilantro, onion and olives. Feel free to get creative, though, and use all of your favorites!
- This soup is hearty enough to serve on its own as a complete meal, or you can add a side salad.
This taco soup is the perfect easy dinner option that the whole family will love! It’s colorful, full of flavor, and takes just minutes to put together.
Looking For Other Easy Soup Recipes:
I hope your family loves this taco soup recipe as much as mine does! Happy cooking! If you give this recipe a try, be sure to comment below and let me know how it turned out for you. Also, I would love to see your creations on Instagram. Be sure to tag me @livinglovingpaleo!
Loaded Taco Soup
Equipment
- Stovetop
- Instant Pot
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers diced (I used 1 red & 1 green)
- 2 pounds ground beef (mine was from Yellowstone grassfed beef)
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
- 2 4 ounce cans diced green chiles
- 18 ounces diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth (I used bones from Yellowstone grassfed beef to make my broth)
For the Toppings (all optional):
- dairy-free sour cream (2 versions in Get Sauced)
- plantain chips
- chopped jalapeños
- diced red onion
- sliced black olives
- cilantro
- avocado
- lime
Instructions
Stovetop Directions:
- Melt the ghee/coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sauté until cooked through. Drain any fat/liquid from the pan.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne to the pot. Stir well to combine. Next add the chiles, tomatoes and beef broth and stir once more. Bring the soup to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with any or all of the toppings listed above! Enjoy!
Instant Pot Directions:
- Turn your Instant Pot on and select the "Sauté" mode. Add the ghee/coconut oil to the pot, and once melted, add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sauté until cooked through. Drain any fat/liquid from the pot.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne to the pot. Stir well to combine. Next add the chiles, tomatoes and beef broth and stir once more. Seal the Instant Pot lid and set it to "Soup" mode. Press the "-" (minus) button to reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes.
- When the soup is finished cooking, manually release the pressure from your Instant Pot. Serve with any or all of the toppings listed above! Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Melt the ghee/coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sauté until cooked through. Drain any fat/liquid from the pan.
- Add the meat/onion/bell pepper mixture to your slow cooker. Add the chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne to the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Next add the chiles, tomatoes and beef broth and stir once more. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with any or all of the toppings listed above! Enjoy!
PIN THIS THIS TACO SOUP RECIPE FOR LATER:
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Like want to bathe in it good!!!! So good and so easy. I cut the recipe in half for my smaller family, but kept the 4 oz. broth and it was fine that way. I offered all the toppings as well and added blue corn chips to the list. This was so good! Also, I mentioned that to my husband it maybe good with tortillas to sop in the broth. He said corn, but I think flour, so those will be included next time. Did I mention, this soup is Good? Thank you, for putting it out here.
*oops! I meant 4 CUPS of broth.
Love that, Mendy! So glad you enjoyed it!
Can you sub turkey? I don’t tolerate red meat but this sounds amazing!
Absolutely!
Is their a store bought version of beef broth you recommend? I have no bones of any kind?
Is there a store bought broth that you recommend? I do not have any bones to make any type of broth.
Hi Julie! Pacific Foods Broth is a great alternative (they have shelf-stable bone broth in many stores now), or if you’re up for ordering bone broth online, I recommend Bonafide Provisions – http://bonafideprovisions.com or Kettle & Fire is awesome as well – https://thrivemarket.com/kettle-fire-beef-bone-broth. Hope that helps!
I get my bone broth from Vital Choice. They carry bonafide broth. It i like their private label better. It’s paleo friendly, grass-fed and organic… and no salt added so you can salt it to your own taste : https://www.vitalchoice.com/product/grass-fed-beef-bone-broth?cat=865
How many does this serve?
This serves approximately 6-8 people, depending on how hungry everyone is 🙂
Is there a way to make this in the crockpot?
Of course! I’d just cook the ground beef beforehand, drain the fat, then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low 🙂
Oh my goodness – this was absolutely delicious!! Just made it tonight and WOW! Nicely spiced with a good medium heat (the way I like it). I garnished with cilantro, a lime wedge, and plantain chips (no ripe avocados sadly). Thank you so much!
I’m so happy you liked it, Emily! Love the toppings you used!
How long will you cook on low in the slow cooker? Thanks :>)
I’d say approximately 4-6 hours 🙂
Hi there! My boyfriend is allergic to tomatoes, do you have any suggestions for what would be a good replacement for the 18oz can of diced tomatoes?
I’m SO excited to try this recipe btw…and quite a few of your others (umm…loaded potatoes anyone?!=)
Thank you!
Hey Jessica! If it were me, I’d probably add an additional diced bell pepper, or even some diced carrots, for the texture, and then add a little more broth as needed, so it doesn’t end up like a chili. It may have a slightly different taste but I think it’ll still turn out great! 🙂
Awesome. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this =)
No problem at all Jessica, happy to help!
This is my absolute favorite soup recipe. It is sooooo good!!
So happy to hear that! 🙂
So delicious! My kiddos loved it (though claimed it a bit to spicy). We added some fresh chopped spinach at the end, and it was amazing! Definitely making again
I’m so happy you liked it, Heather! You could definitely leave out the cayenne and lower the amount of chili pepper that you use in the next batch, that will help to make it much more mild 🙂
This recipe made about 10 (1) cup servings for me. It was too much for me to eat in a week, so I froze the servings in portion control (1 quart) freezer bags. Happy to say- the recipe reheats well and tastes just as good as the day I made it! I eat mine with a scoop of guacamole or sliced avocado to stay whole 30 compliant. For the weekend football games, I also spooned some over corn chips to make nachos and they came out great! It makes for a good option to use this recipe in other ways as well – and for members in your household who are not following the whole 30.
Perfect, Molly! This is one of my favorite soups to freeze as well!
LOVE this version! It has has so much flavor and goodness. I go ahead and add a whole bunch of chopped cilantro right into the pot. Mmmmm! I put some black beans and corn on the side for those who can and would like to add it in. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear that, thanks Karen!
Where did you find an 18oz can of diced tomatoes? Is that a typo?
Hi Andrea! The brand I used is linked in the recipe 🙂 I use jarred tomatoes as they’re BPA free, but you can easily substitute a 15 oz regular can, as it’s not that much of a difference. Hope that helps!
Could you give me the nutritional facts on each serving? How many calories and grams of fat, protein & net carbs?
Hi Tiffany! I don’t have the nutrition facts for my recipes as I don’t track any numbers myself, but you’re welcome to enter the ingredients into an online calculator (such as My Fitness Pal). 🙂
Hi. I made this tonight with Zuchinni, yellow squash a yellow bell pepper, less onion, extra minced garlic, only one teaspoon each salt and pepper and only one tablespoon each cumin and chilli powder. I ommitted the tomatoes and cayan. Of course the other spices I added. A can of beans and 3/4 can of slides olives rounded out my rotissery chicken leftover soup.
Thanks for the recipe. I needed something flexible do I could turn what I had into a quick dinner.