This is my favorite recipe for healthy (lower in sodium) taco soup. It has lots of fresh veggies and is full of protein. Perfect family meal for fall potlucks!
So here's the thing. I like taco soup. I've tried a lot of taco soup recipes. When I was a kid my mom made taco soup all the time because it was easy, cheap, and fed a lot of kids (I have seven siblings). But I noticed that a lot of these taco soup recipes are very heavy in canned foods, which means a loooot of sodium. Don't get me wrong, I love salty, fatty, sugary, saucy, drool worthy foods as much as the next mostly normal woman. I definitely eat my share of heart stopping delicious things like Chocolate Dulce de Leche filled Cupcakes. I've admitted that I could never do a healthy-foods-only blog because all foods are created delicious and I cannot discriminate.
BUT. I'm also a registered nurse and that's what keeps me on track most some of the time. Heart healthy and all that. I could go on and on about the benefits of a low sodium diet, not the least of which is it helps to lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease which is the number one killer of both men and women according to the World Health Organization. No big deal.
That being said, I made a healthier, lower sodium taco soup using a lot of fresh vegetables and only two low sodium cans of beans. Sometimes I use dried beans and a homemade ranch and taco seasoning mixes that are lower in salt, which I'll hopefully share soon as well. I top mine with greek yogurt and cheese, and the mancub likes it plain jane with no frills.
Printable recipe at bottom of post 👇🏻
How to make Taco Soup:
- Brown ground beef (or turkey) in a large cooking pot.
- Add vegetables and seasonings, stir well.
- Cook on medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender.
- Top with greek yogurt (or sour cream), cheese, green onion and enjoy!
- If you wish to make it in a crock pot, simply brown the ground meat in a frying pan, and toss in the crock pot with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Can you freeze Taco Soup?
Why yes. Yes you can.
How to freeze Taco Soup:
- Wait until taco soup is cooled completely.
- Place in freezer bag or freezable container, leaving room for soup to slightly expand. I prefer to take a gallon freezer bag and place it inside a circular container so it freezes into a circle and I can just plop it into a pot to defrost.
- To reheat, microwave or thaw on the stove at a low simmer, stirring occasionally.
- I like to add extra tomatoes, beans or bell peppers and a little extra taco seasoning and garlic to stretch it further.
Taco Soup is one of my faves on a cold day. And it's good for me, which is a bonus.
Healthy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups corn fresh or frozen
- 1 (15 oz) can low sodium black beans
- 1 (15 oz) can low sodium kidney beans
- 4 cups diced tomatoes or 2 (15) oz cans
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1-2 Tablespoons Ranch seasoning to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Toppings
- greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- grated cheddar cheese
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, cook ground beef (or turkey) over medium heat until browned and broken into little pieces, about 5 minutes.
- Add onion, bell peppers, corn, black and kidney beans, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and ground pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes on low heat until vegetables are tender. Enjoy!
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