Taco Soup

It took me a long time to get into cooking.  My mom never let us in the kitchen – sorry mom, but that’s how I remember things.  Or maybe it’s because I got banned after making no-bake cookies that turned out awful, thanks to my sister and getting tsp and TBSP mixed up – sorry sis, that’s how I remember it! 

I don’t recall doing lots of cooking until I moved in with the husband – in fact, one year for my birthday, he got me a 3-day cooking class at Viking.  We always have to tell people that I wanted to go and requested it, not that he thought my cooking was bad! 

I digress…so this recipe is one of the first ones I made – before I really cooked.  A friend compiled recipes into a cookbook, which was a fundraiser for her class.  She told me this was such an easy recipe – basically dump and cook, in one pot.  I’ve changed it a little…

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)

1 can black beans – drained & rinsed

1 can kidney beans – drained & rinsed

1 can corn (regular, mexi-corn, or hominy – I prefer hominy)

1 pkt taco seasoning

1 pkt ranch dressing (powdered)

2 c water

In a pot, ground beef.  Once ground, add black and kidney beans, as well as corn.  Mix it all up.  Add taco seasoning, ranch dressing, and water.  Stir.  Let sit at least 10 minutes for the flavors to blend.  Serve.  I think last time, it simmered for at least 30 minutes.  You can top this with so many things – sour cream, tortilla chips, guacamole, or just avocado.

How easy is that?  I can also see this as one that is good to cook with the kids in the kitchen.

If you’re feeding lots of people, you can increase the number of cans of beans and corn used.

The past couple of times I’ve made this, I’ve added chopped onion and peppers, since I had them on hand.  Really – you can do just about anything to this, and I’m sure it’ll be great!