One-Pan Taco Soup with Beef
Brown beef, dump in the rest, and dinner is basically done.
If you’re tired and want something that feels like a real dinner without juggling pans, make this tonight. It starts with ground beef and ends with a chunky, comforting taco soup that tastes familiar fast. Everything cooks in one large pot, so cleanup stays simple and the whole meal is friendly to autopilot cooking. Expect bold taco flavor, a brothy base, and enough substance to count as dinner on its own, especially with tortilla chips or a little cheese on top. It’s not fancy, and that’s the point: warm, filling, and easy to get on the table when your brain is already calling it a day.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 unit yellow onion — diced
- 3 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 unit can diced tomatoes — 14.5 oz
- 1 unit can black beans — 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 1 unit can pinto beans — 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 1 unit can corn — 15 oz, drained
- 4 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt — more to taste
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup tortilla chips — for serving
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese — for topping
Method
- 1 Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking up the beef, until the meat is browned and the onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off excess fat if needed.
- 2 Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant and the paste darkens a little.
- 3 Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, corn, beef broth, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- 4 Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the soup thickens slightly and the flavors come together.
- 5 Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and add a little more salt if needed. Serve hot with tortilla chips and cheddar cheese.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Skip the beef and add 1 extra can of beans plus 1 extra cup of broth for a hearty meatless taco soup.
- Faster swap — Use pre-diced onion and garlic paste, then serve with crushed tortilla chips instead of waiting to garnish.
- Substitutions — Use kidney beans instead of pinto beans, or swap cheddar for Monterey Jack if that’s what you have.
Notes
For a thicker soup, simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer. If you like a looser, more spoonable version, add an extra 1 cup broth. Leftovers reheat well on the stove or in the microwave, and the flavor gets even better the next day.
Equipment that helps
- Large pot or Dutch oven — It gives you enough space to brown the beef and simmer the soup in the same vessel.
- Wooden spoon or spatula — It helps break up the beef quickly and scrape up the flavorful browned bits.
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