taco soup
The Man Friend is out of town. He met his dad in Austin for guys' weekend. They're drinking beer, eating at yummy (non-chain) restaurants, and enjoying catching up. It's been a while since I've had the house to myself for the weekend. While we completely enjoy each other's company, absence does make the heart grow fonder. I miss him...but it gives me an opportunity to make foods he won't eat, to park in the middle of the driveway, and not ever have to worry if the toilet seat has been left up in the middle of the night.
However, the critters woke me up at 5:30am. Yes. 5:30 in the damn morning. They went potty and promptly fell back asleep.
Little turds.
I love those little boogers to pieces, but damn.
However, it wasn't all bad. Getting up meant that I got a lot more done today. And it also meant I took a nap this afternoon.
finally got some fun big kid dishes
Once I realized I wasn't going to fall back asleep, I got up, worked a little, made breakfast, enjoyed some delicious coffee...then I went shopping. Whoopsie!
I've wanted new dishes for a while. In fact, I've wanted an eclectic look ever since I took my first cooking class at Onion Creek Kitchens. They have lots of random dinnerware and I've loved the shabby chic look. Now that I have my very own cooking(ish) blog, I decided to head over to Pier 1 for upgraded dishes. And I did goooooood! The great news is that I got some of them on clearance...and they're all dishwasher and microwave safe.
It's (only) 90 degrees in Texas today. However, it's been cloudy and rainy for the last few days. The ten degree weather drop makes me feel like I need to make soup. Because, you know...that's a "cold front."
Also, I was lazy and didn't want to cook much today. So, I opted for an awesome slow cooker family favorite.
taco soup
prep time: 20 minutes | cook time: 45 minutes (stovetop); 5-6 hours (slow cooker)
experience level: easy peasy | specialty: *see notes
- 1 pound 90/10 ground beef or extra lean ground turkey
- 15 ounce can no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can no salt added pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can no salt added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 10 ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
- 4 ounce can diced green chilies
- 15 1/4 ounce can no salt added corn, drained and rinsed
- 15 1/2 ounce can hominy (I use white, as it saves on some carbs & calories), drained and rinsed
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix
- 4 tbsp Penzey's taco seasoning or 1 packet taco seasoning
- 5 cups water
Grab your 6 quart slow cooker and spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
Brown the beef or turkey. Make sure to chop it up in small pieces.
While the meat is browning, drain and rinse the beans, corn, and hominy. Place in the crockpot. Pour the (undrained) Rotel and diced green chilies on top. Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning over the veggies. Slowly add the water, stirring carefully to incorporate. This is important, because clumps of dry ranch dressing are pretty nasty.
Once the meat is finished cooking, drain any excess grease and stir into the mix.
Stovetop Directions: Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Slow Cooker Directions: Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Serving Suggestions: Top the soup with shredded cheese, avocado, and/or sour cream. This recipe is also great with tortillas, crackers, or homemade cornbread.
Notes: You can make this recipe vegetarian by skipping the ground beef/turkey and vegan by finding a ranch dressing mix substitute, if such a thing exists (sorry, y'all....Texans love their ranch dressing).
