This slow cooker taco soup is one of those recipes I come back to over and over again. It’s warm, filling, and honestly one of the easiest dinners you can make.
You just brown the beef, dump everything into the slow cooker, and let it do its thing for a few hours. That’s really all there is to it.
The combination of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning gives this soup a flavor that’s hard to beat. It’s savory, slightly tangy, and just a little bit spicy.
It’s also a great recipe for feeding a crowd or meal prepping for the week. It reheats perfectly and might even taste better the next day.
Top it off with some shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips and you’ve got yourself a seriously good bowl of soup.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
The Flavor Is Unreal – The combo of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning creates a rich and savory broth you will not stop eating.
Perfect for Meal Prep – This soup tastes even better the next day because the spices and Rotel chiles keep deepening in flavor overnight.
Feeds a Crowd – With all those cans of beans and corn plus a pound of beef this soup stretches easily to feed a big family.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can Corn, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
- 1 (1 oz) packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 (1 oz) packet Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth
- Toppings: Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, Fresh Cilantro
Directions
Step 1
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until no pink remains. Drain off any excess grease.
Step 2
Transfer the cooked beef and onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the black beans, kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and rotel tomatoes.
Step 3
Sprinkle the taco seasoning and ranch seasoning mix over everything. Pour in the beef broth and stir well until all ingredients are evenly combined.
Step 4
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. The longer cooking time on low allows all the flavors to come together beautifully.
Step 5
Stir the soup well and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Step 6
Ladle the taco soup into bowls and load up with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, and fresh cilantro. Serve with warm cornbread on the side.
Pro Tips
Brown the Beef Really Well
Don’t just cook the beef until it’s no longer pink – let it stay in the skillet a bit longer so it gets some brown, crispy bits on it. That browning adds a ton of flavor to the soup that you won’t get if you just barely cook the meat through.
Keep the heat at medium-high and resist the urge to stir it constantly. Let it sit for a minute or two between stirs so it actually gets a chance to brown instead of just steaming.
Those browned bits are basically free flavor that makes the whole soup taste richer and more savory.
Don’t Drain the Diced Tomatoes
The regular can of diced tomatoes and the Rotel should both go in undrained – juice and all. That tomato liquid is a big part of what makes this soup have the right consistency and flavor.
If you drain them, you’ll end up with a soup that’s too thick and almost more like a chili. The tomato juice blends with the beef broth to create the perfect soupy base.
Go Easy on Extra Salt at the Start
Between the taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, canned beans, Rotel, and beef broth, there is already a lot of sodium in this soup. If you add salt before it cooks, there’s a good chance it’ll end up way too salty.
Wait until the very end after everything has cooked together, then taste it and decide if it actually needs any salt. Most of the time it doesn’t need much, if any at all.
Related Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Chili
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip browning the beef and just throw everything in the slow cooker raw?
You technically can, but browning the beef first makes a big difference. It gives the meat better flavor and texture, and it also lets you drain off the excess grease so your soup doesn’t end up greasy.
If you skip that step, you’ll likely end up with clumps of bland meat floating in an oily broth – so it’s really worth the extra 10 minutes.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can Corn, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
- 1 (1 oz) packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 (1 oz) packet Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth
- Toppings: Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, Fresh Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until no pink remains. Drain off any excess grease.
- Transfer the cooked beef and onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the black beans, kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and rotel tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning and ranch seasoning mix over everything. Pour in the beef broth and stir well until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. The longer cooking time on low allows all the flavors to come together beautifully.
- Stir the soup well and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle the taco soup into bowls and load up with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, and fresh cilantro. Serve with warm cornbread on the side.