Creamy Taco Soup (with Ground Beef)

by Kayla Berman on October 27, 2022 0 comments

Creamy Taco Soup is the perfect easy and delicious soup recipe! Made with ground beef, black beans, taco seasoning, and cream cheese … this stove top soup is flavorful, customizable, full of taco spice, and is ready in under 30 minutes. It is the perfect cozy and comforting family dinner to enjoy during the fall and winter months!

Creamy, Comforting, & Cozy Soup

I am a big, big soup fan! They are my favorite recipes to enjoy on a cold winter night and to meal prep during the fall. A warm bowl of soup is truly like a warm hug and I just cannot get enough!

And let me tell you, this Creamy Beef Taco Soup is the perfect soup for me.

It is creamy, flavorful, cheesy, hearty, and full of taco spice. Not to mention, it is incredibly easy to make! It is pretty much a dump & boil recipe and can be ready in about 30 minutes on the stove top.

Plus it is full of protein, low carb, and super customizable.

I promise your entire family will be licking their bowls clean when you serve them this soup!

Ingredients

Creamy beef taco soup is made with a few simple ingredients! They consist of mainly pantry staples, which make this recipe so convenient, plus some fresh too.

They come together to make a delectably creamy, flavorful, and hearty soup!

Ingredient Notes

Olive Oil: You will need a bit of olive oil to sauté the aromatics for this soup! Just 1-2 tbsp or enough to cover the bottom of your pot.
Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic are my tried and true ingredients! I swear I put them in each and every savory recipe because they just provide such incredible flavor. This soup is no different! You’ll need 1 yellow onion and 5 fresh garlic cloves.
Green Chiles: A 4.5 oz can of green chilies adds the perfect kick to this recipe. They are such a fantastic addition.
Ground Beef: As this recipe is a beef taco soup, you will need beef! 1 lb ground beef is perfect.
Seasonings: The seasonings are key in this recipe! They make for such a flavorful soup. You will need 1 taco seasoning packet and 1/2 tsp each of chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Also add salt and pepper to taste.
Diced Tomatoes: 15 oz of diced tomatoes are added to this soup. I love the flavor, texture, and color they provide.
Black Beans: Black beans are needed for anything taco, so they are of course added here. They are also a nice carb source for this soup! You’ll need a 15 oz can.
Chicken Broth: 4 cups of chicken broth is the liquid used in this soup. It adds tasty salty flavor.
Cream Cheese: All you need to make this soup as creamy as can be is 4 oz cream cheese. It also adds a top notch cheesy and tangy flavor. So good!

Substitutions & Additions

Taco soup is actually incredibly customizable! There are a bunch of substitutions and additions you could make in order for it to meet your personal preferences, tastes, and needs.

Meat: I think the meat used in this recipe is what can be most easily changed! Ground chicken or ground turkey could be swapped right in for ground beef if you are looking for a bit of a lighter soup.

I think even adding shredded chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken would be a great option.

Broth: The chicken broth here could be replaced with vegetable broth or beef broth. Just be aware that if you use beef broth the soup will be quite darker in color.

Taco Seasoning: I used store bought taco seasoning for ease and simplicity here, but you could absolutely use homemade taco seasoning. Here is a great recipe.

Heavy Cream: Heavy cream would be a great addition to this soup if you are looking to make the creamy broth even creamier.

Vegetables: I think a fabulous option would be to up the nutrition in this soup and add extra vegetables! Red bell peppers, corn, mushroom, and zucchini would be delicious.

Kitchen Tools

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How To Make This Recipe

This delicious taco soup can be made from start to finish in about 30 minutes on the stove top! It is the perfect busy weeknight dinner for cold winter months.

The whole family will scrape their bowls and be going back for more!

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Add the olive oil, diced onion, fresh garlic, and green chiles to a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Step 2: Next add the ground beef, taco seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add salt and pepper. Sauté until the beef is browned.

Step 3: Then add the diced tomatoes, black beans, and chicken broth. Combine.

Step 4: Bring the soup to a boil. Cover the large soup pot and let simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid, and let simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.

Step 5: Turn the heat to low, or even off, and add in the cream cheese. Stir for a few minutes until the cream cheese is fully melted into the soup and the broth becomes creamy.

Step 6: Add any additional seasonings needed and salt and pepper to taste at this point.

Step 7: Serve with fresh cilantro, lime juice, cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips on top. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Chop the onion and garlic ahead of time! This will make the soup even easier to prepare on a busy night.

Turn the heat to low when mixing in the cream cheese for the best results.

Season to taste!

This soup is actually quite low carb as is, but you could leave out the beans for an even lower carb option.

Serve this soup over white or brown rice for a more well rounded, satisfying meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to thicken taco soup?

There are multiple ways to thicken this creamy soup!

One way would be to add less chicken broth to begin with. Perhaps 3 cups instead of the instructed 4.

You could also simmer the soup for more time uncovered. This would allow some of the liquid to evaporate, and would thus make for a thicker consistency.

Lastly, you could add a cornstarch slurry to the soup. A cornstarch slurry is 1 part cornstarch and 2 parts cold water combined thoroughly. It is used as a thickening agent in sauces, soups, and desserts.

Is this taco soup spicy?

No, I would not say this taco soup is spicy. It does have a slight kick from the green chiles and taco seasoning, but not much as both are mild.

If you’re looking for more spice – use medium or hot versions!

How to serve this recipe?

Serve this soup with all of your favorite taco toppings. Mine include cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, green onions, tortilla strips, hot sauce, and a lime wedge.

How to best store this recipe?

Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep for about 5 days – 1 week!

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes, you can freeze this recipe. Just know that cream cheese does not freeze extremely well in soups. When reheated the texture of the soup may become a bit grainy.

To prevent this from happening you could wait to add the cream cheese until after the soup is frozen and reheated.

Love this recipe? Check out some similar recipes below…

Mexican Inspired Recipes

Delicious Soup Recipes

Connect With Me!

If you make this creamy taco soup recipe or any of my other recipes I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram, so I can see and share your recreations!!

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