Healthy Taco Soup

This Healthy Taco Soup just may be the easiest soup recipe you ever make! It can be made in your crockpot or cooked in just thirty minutes on the stovetop with all the flavor of a traditional taco soup, but packed with nutritious ingredients!

Today I would love to chat about those days when you realize its only 4:00 PM, you are out of energy, and you need an easy dinner. Ugh. It happens more often than I would like to admit, but sometimes it's just reality. The day gets away from you and before you know it, it's dinner time and you have no idea what to make. 

I would love to know what your strategy is for days like that. While I used to rely on takeout way too often, now I almost always make a batch of this soup or grab some I have ready to go in the freezer. It's incredibly easy to make, uses ingredients most of us have in the fridge and pantry, and tastes so good! My whole family loves this easy taco soup.

For me, I like to have some easy healthy options available at all times in the freezer and this healthy taco soup is topping the list as one of my favorites. It's super filling, packed with fiber and protein, and tastes amazing. It's seriously good. Plus if you have some points to spare, you can add things like cheese, baked tortilla chips, or avocado on top to really take it to the next level.

Another thing that makes this Taco Soup the best is that it couldn't be easier to make. Other than the onion and garlic, you are just dumping ingredients into the slow cooker and walking away. You can use almost any combination of beans you like and feel free to switch out the protein.

Ground turkey or chicken are delicious in this recipe, just brown it before adding it to the slow cooker. You could also use ground beef or chicken thighs. Or go for a veggie version and leave the meat out entirely for some extra beans.

Ways to Customize this Taco Soup

• Protein: You can use chicken breast, ground chicken breast, or lean ground turkey. You could also use chicken thighs, ground beef, ground turkey sausage, or vegetarian ground meat.
• Vegetarian option: Leave out the meat and just add an extra can of beans.
• Taco seasoning: Store bought taco seasoning is fast but it is packed with sodium. Consider making a homemade version to cut back on the sodium in this recipe.
• Cut back on sodium: Look for low sodium beans, tomatoes, and chicken broth to cut back on the sodium levels in the recipe. Also make the homemade taco seasoning referenced above.
• Veggies: You can definitely add lots of extra veggies to this recipe. Bell peppers are a good option. I have also added zucchini, spinach, and cauliflower. You can also double the tomatoes.
• Freezer friendly: This soup freezes really well. I recommend freezing it in individual servings for quick and easy lunches.
• Traditional Taco Soup with ranch: Many people also like to add a packet of ranch seasoning to their taco soup. Feel free to add that as well if that is how your family enjoys it.
• Thicker soup: To thicken up the broth, consider adding a can of fat free refried beans. It will make the soup thick and creamy.

Cooking Options

This soup can be made in the slow cooker, instant pot, or on the stove top. It is a really versatile recipe. My personal preference is the slow cooker since the flavors have the most time to combine and deepen, but they all work great.

• Slow Cooker / Crockpot: This can be made in the slow cooker and cooked on low for 4-8 hours. The longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor will be.
• Instant Pot: To cook this in the Instant Pot, just use the soup setting (8 minutes) and then let the pressure release naturally.
• Stovetop: It takes about 30 minutes to cook this taco soup on the stove top but it can simmer much longer than that to deepen the flavors. Just make sure remove the chicken breast so it doesn't over cook.