Keyword: tomato

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. 

Family Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

The Story:

If you’re like us, spaghetti makes a regular appearance on your dinner table. There are many, many times that I just buy the jarred kind and doctor it up myself. I thought it would be fun to do something a little different this time around because this was our “Back to School” celebration dinner! I always get a little anxious when I make a new recipe from scratch for my family because I never know exactly how it will be received. There have been a few times that I ended up eating things myself because the kids aren’t into it but that was not the case with this sauce! They were actually HUGE fans of it and begged to have leftovers the next night, too.

This is actually a semi-homemade sauce, making it very easy to throw together. I use canned tomatoes a lot in my cooking because they are easy and take out the prep work of chopping all those tomatoes. The tomato paste is a key component in this sauce because it give it that rich, authentic flavor like it’s been cooking all day long. No one has to know it’s only been cooking for a few hours (that can be our little secret).

The Method:

First, chop the onion. On medium heat, saute it in a large pot with the oil until soft and translucent (about 10 mins). Then, add in the minced garlic and cook an additional 2-3 mins.

I like to puree the onions and garlic to give the sauce a smoother texture. You can skip this step if you don’t mind the onions. To puree, add the onions and garlic to a blender with 1 can of tomato sauce and blend until it’s smooth. You can also use an immersion blender here if you have one.

Add the pureed mixture back to pot with all of the remaining ingredients (except the ground beef). Stir the sauce and let it simmer on low for 4 hours. You can add water to the sauce if it gets too thick. The amount of water you add depends on how think you want your sauce.

In the last 30 minutes, prepare the ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat. It should be well done before adding to the sauce. Once it’s cooked, add it to the sauce and stir well to combine. Once the beef is added, the sauce is complete and ready to eat! We enjoy spaghetti several different ways in our house. My kids love it over traditional pasta. Sometimes I like to eat it over veggies like zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower. I recently toasted a slice of sourdough and topped it with a big scoop of sauce and parmesan cheese. It was incredible!

Notes:

When adding the parmesan cheese, use freshly grated, not the stuff in a can. The fresh kind has a more robust flavor and melts into the cheese better than the alternative.

For the liquid, anything will work. It tends to get thick as it cooks so you might find that you’re adding more liquid towards the middle to end of the cooking time. You might end up adding more than 1/2 cup as well. I add about a cup when I make this recipe.

The key to achieving an authentic tasting sauce is to allow it to simmer for a several hours (4+ hours). If you won’t be home and don’t have time to cook this sauce on the stove top, you can always put it in the crock-pot on low for 4-6 hours. 

Print Recipe
 Family Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
This sauce is thick and bursting with robust flavor. It tastes amazing over pasta or on top of your favorite veggies for a lower carb option.
Course Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4+ hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4+ hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. First, chop the onion. On medium heat, saute it in a large pot with the oil until soft and translucent (about 10 mins). Then, add in the minced garlic and cook an additional 2-3 mins.
  2. I like to puree the onions and garlic to give the sauce a smoother texture. You can skip this step if you don't mind the onions. To puree, add the onions and garlic to a blender with 1 can of tomato sauce and blend until it's smooth. You can also use an immersion blender here if you have one.
  3. Add the pureed mixture back to pot with all of the remaining ingredients (except the ground beef). Stir the sauce and let it simmer on low for 4 hours. You can add water to the sauce if it gets too thick. The amount of water you add depends on how think you want your sauce.
  4. In the last 30 minutes, prepare the ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat. It should be well done before adding to the sauce. Once it's cooked, add it to the sauce and stir well to combine. Once the beef is added, the sauce is complete and ready to eat!

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.