The hubster and I have been sick since our return from Chicago. Whatever this sickness is, it has kept us down for a few days now. Unfortunately we had to eat, which meant I had to cook. It wasn't unfortunate on the eating part...just the cooking part. Cooking while you are sick is not fun! It is rare that we are both sick at the same time, but here we are nevertheless.
I needed something that was quick, easy and didn't require a lot of brain power to prepare. I pulled out a few loose recipes and my "homemade" recipe book and found the perfect meal...
EASY TACO SOUP!
I found this recipe a few years ago on Kraft's website. I added the word "easy" because it is so easy to prepare. It quickly became a family favorite. It has wonderful flavors and a deep, rich color. It's silly to talk about the color of this soup, as I'm sure people usually don't think about the color of their food, but I'm one of the weirdos who does. After all, you eat with your eyes first, right? A little side note: the word weirdo was first used in 1962. A synonym of the word weirdo is quaint. Another synonym of weirdo is eccentric (the post on The Almost Chair). See how it all it all ties together for me? :-)
I normally serve this during the fall and winter, but I needed something simple for us to eat. As usual, I made a few modifications to the recipe. You can make whatever changes you like to suit your taste.
TACO SOUP (serves 12)
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 cans (15.5 oz each) chili beans
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14.25 oz) corn, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
Directions: Brown meat with chopped onions in large saucepan. Drain. (Sit on the sofa because you are tired from standing in front of the stove.) Pour mixture into a soup pot. (Get something cold to drink because your throat is really scratchy.) Add all remaining ingredients. (Let the flavors meld while you sit on the sofa for another 10 minutes.) Stir with spoon, breaking up tomatoes. (Breaking up the tomatoes has sapped the last remaining bit of your energy, so you return to the sofa). Simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Go lie down in bed while this cooks and pray that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot while you are away from the kitchen.)
Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese for garnish. For a printable version of this recipe (without my whining), click here.
Here are the modifications I make to this recipe. Instead of chili beans, I use ranch style beans. We like the flavor of the ranch style beans better. Also, I do not use whole tomatoes, but diced tomatoes. I reduce those down in my small blender. (This action required quite a bit of energy from my pointer finger -- I'm surprised it functioned well enough to snap photos!) I usually let the soup cook for 30 - 45 minutes on low, still stirring occasionally. This recipe serves 12. As there are only the 2 of us, leftovers freeze nicely. It is one of those recipes that if refrigerated overnight tastes better the next day.
Needless to say the warmth of the soup felt wonderful on our sore throats. The chips were a little scratchy, but we suffered through it and went back to bed after dinner! (We ate some of the leftovers for breakfast, but I won't tell if you won't. You do what you gotta do when you're sick!!)
You and your family will enjoy this recipe. It takes no time to prepare and is one of those that works well in a pinch!
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Take it from me, it's good. You'd think that with 12 servings we'd be able to eat it five more times, but you'd be wrong. I usually do a fare job of reducing the leftovers one baggie-size the first night and finishing off the remains by the third meal.
ReplyDeleteLOL....oh, honey....
DeleteYour taco soup does look yummy!! Kudos to you for being able to fix this when not feeling well.
ReplyDeleteMary Alice
Thank you so much Mary Alice! The simplicity of this soup was what saved us from starvation...LOL. I couldn't have fixed anything complex. Have a great day!
DeleteIt does look yummy, and you styled it so nicely. I hope you are well soon. xoxo Su
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Su! We are finally feeling better…it has been a rough few days! Have a good evening! Hugs!!
DeleteAwwww....Glad you both are feeling a little better! Your taco soup looks like the perfect comfort food! :) Thank you for linking up today at #OhMyHeartsieGirlWW! Glad you were able to stop by this week! Looking forward to seeing you next week!
ReplyDeletehugs, Christine
Christine, thank you so much! We are both finally feeling some better! The soup has definitely kept us nourished for a few days! Have a great week and thanks so much for hosting!! Hugs!!
DeleteBummer you and Hubby got sick, but your soup looks scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteYeah, we hated it, especially since it was the first time in Chicago. And thank you ma'am...it's a keeper! :-) Have a great night!
DeleteOne of our favorite recipes! We make it like you do but with hominy instead of corn. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteYUM...I will have to try it with hominy! I've just always used corn -- thanks for the tip!! :-) Have a great day!!
DeleteThis looks so good, will definitely give it a go.
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy it…easy peasy and works well as leftovers! Thanks so much!
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