Cuisine: Taco Night

Super Easy Taco Soup

Something happens to me when the weather starts to cool and football season begins. I automatically want soup or chili and all things pumpkin spice. Last week when I heard Florida was getting a “cold front” (which means temps were in the 80’s rather than high 90’s) the cravings set in. While I’ve have never made taco soup before, I’m the queen of real deal tacos. This super easy taco soup combines all the flavors of tacos you love while also incorporating veggies for heartiness and healthiness. This is a great soup to make ahead of time, too! Warm it up for an easy week night meal. Take to work for quick lunch. Make it for a get together with friends. However you choose to do it, I promise it will be a crowd pleaser!

Let’s Get Started

I used an instant pot for this recipe but if you don’t have one, you can totally do this on the stove top or in the crock pot. Here is a link to the instant pot I use and love dearly.

With the instant pot set to saute, add in the teaspoon of oil and the chopped onions. Saute them until they are soft and caramelized. At this point, add in your chopped up chicken and saute it for a few minutes with the onions. The pieces are so tiny that they will cook fast but they don’t have to be completely cooked through since you will be cooking the soup further under pressure.

*If you are doing this on the stove top, you might want to cook the chicken all the way through.

Once the chicken is ready, add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir it up. Put the lid on your instant pot and set the soup/stew setting to 5 minutes. I use the quick release on soups because they don’t have to continue cooking, but natural release won’t hurt it either.

And that’s all you have to do! See why I call it Super Easy Taco Soup? It’s almost not even a recipe because it’s so simple!

I served mine sprinkled with cheese and homemade tortilla chips but it would also pair well with cornbread, a simple sandwich, or even a salad. The options are endless. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it in the comments below!

Print Recipe
 Super Easy Taco Soup
This super easy taco soup is healthy, full of bold flavors, and is the perfect cozy meal to make when the autumn air begins to turn cool and crisp.
Course Soups
Cuisine Mexican, Taco Night
Keyword chicken, dairy free, easy, easy recipe, eat move live happy, taco soup, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Soups
Cuisine Mexican, Taco Night
Keyword chicken, dairy free, easy, easy recipe, eat move live happy, taco soup, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. With the instant pot set to saute, add in the teaspoon of oil and the chopped onions. Saute them until they are soft and caramelized.
  2. Next, add in your chopped up chicken and saute it for a few minutes with the onions. The pieces are so tiny that they will cook fast but they don't have to be completely cooked through since you will be cooking the soup further under pressure.
  3. Once the chicken is ready, add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir it up. Put the lid on your instant pot and set the soup/stew setting to 5 minutes. I use the quick release on soups because they don't have to continue cooking, but natural release won't hurt it either.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips, corn bread, or anything your heart desires!
Recipe Notes
  • This recipe can also be made in a crock pot or on the stove top. You'll just adjust the recipe accordingly. 

Easy Peach-Mango Salsa

If you follow me on social media, you know that I’m a sucker for tacos. We have tacos at least once a week in our house. The key to not getting bored with them is mixing up the flavor combos. We use chicken, beef, pork, fish, and sometimes black beans as the protein source. If you missed it, I shared my homemade taco seasoning mix here and you can add it to anything to get that authentic taco flavor. I try to get creative with sauces and salsas to change up the flavors. This peach-mango salsa is the perfect complement to your summer time taco night and pairs well with any protein source you choose. The bold flavor and sweetness will have your taste buds doing a happy dance!

Peaches are currently in season and I recently bought a hefty amount of them at a local roadside stand. These peaches were by far the best I’ve ever had in my entire life! Seriously, I can’t get over it. I guess I’ve only ever bought grocery store peaches and the difference is not even comparable. That being said, I’ve been trying to incorporate them in every meal so they don’t go bad before we eat them.

The inspiration from this easy peach-mango salsa comes from an entree I order from Bonefish Grill. My hubby and I love going there on date-night. I sometimes order the salmon with mango salsa and it blows my mind how well the salsa compliments the fish. I wanted to recreate the taste so I came up with this simple, tangy, delicious peach-mango salsa. With only a few ingredients, you’ll have the perfect pairing for your tacos, tortilla chips, or anything else your heart desires!

Notes:

This recipe is beyond simple. It only requires chopping a few ingredients and adding in your favorite salsa. I used restaurant style salsa because I love the texture. But you can use whatever salsa you want.

Print Recipe
 Easy Peach-Mango Salsa
This peach-mango salsa is the perfect complement to your summer time taco night. The bold flavor and sweetness of the fruit, lime, and cilantro will have your taste buds doing a happy dance.
Course Condiments, Sauces
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword cilantro, easy, easy recipe, easy salsa, eat move live happy, lime, mango, peach, salsa, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Condiments, Sauces
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword cilantro, easy, easy recipe, easy salsa, eat move live happy, lime, mango, peach, salsa, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Chop up the peach, mango, tomato and cilantro. Set a pinch of the cilantro aside for garnish.
  2. Place the chopped ingredients in a bowl with 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa and the juice of the 1/4 lime. Stir until combined.
  3. Finish off with a pinch of cilantro and it's ready to eat!
  4. Store any extra salsa in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Taco Seasoning Mix

As you’ll soon learn, I am a taco fanatic. I’ve mentioned before that we do taco night at least once a week in our house and it’s always a favorite for all 4 of us. We just cant. get. enough. With that said, we go through A LOT of taco seasoning mix! And while I don’t mind the taste of the little packets from the grocery store, I’m not a fan of what’s inside of them. Plus, it’s just so easy to make your own and the flavor is out of this world! You can use this mix on any protein you are using for taco night including chicken, steak, shrimp, fish and even chickpeas.

This version is not spicy. If you like it spicy you can always add a little cayenne or red pepper flakes to the mix to add some extra heat.

This will last a few months (if you don’t use it all first) in a mason jar or other container. When seasoning your food, you’ll use about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat plus 1/4 cup of water, more if needed. If you like it a little thicker, a teaspoon of cornstarch will thicken it right up. Enjoy!

Print Recipe
 Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Course Condiments
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, Taco Seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cup
Ingredients
Course Condiments
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, Taco Seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cup
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. When you are ready to cook, add 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat and ¼ cup of water. You can also add 1 tsp of cornstarch to thicken if desired. Store any extra seasoning in an airtight container or mason jar to keep it fresh.