Easy Lamb Taco Soup, Comfort Food

What is a Taco Soup?

It is a taco in soup form which has all the components of a taco. It is garnished with avocado, cheese, sour cream, onions and broken taco shells or tortilla chips. The seasoning for the soup is taco seasoning. Use a commercial taco seasoning or make it at home. Beef is the main source of protein along with beans and customize the protein to your dietary requirements.

Ingredients

The main ingredients for are tomatoes, protein (ground lamb/beef/chicken), beans, corn, broth, taco seasoning and onions.

• Tomatoes - canned tomatoes work the best in soups and diced tomato jalapeno eliminates the need to add in extra jalapenos.  If you do not have that in handy, use a can of diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes and 1 or 2 jalapeno to taste.  
• Protein - Ground beef and chicken are most used protein in the soup but ground lamb or goat also works great.  Use lean protein of your choice. Whole Foods has Nature’s Rancher brand grass fed ground lamb.  The meat is lean, not smelly and these days I buy this a lot when I am out of goat meat that I get from Halal store in Queens. 
• For vegetarians, use veg protein; beans, soya granules or any veg protein of choice.
• Beans - Black beans is used in tacos and taco soup. Since I was out of it, I used red kidney beans and cannellini beans.  
• Corn - Few sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen.
• Broth - use low sodium broth of your choice or homemade stock or bouillon cubes and water.  You do not have any for those handy, use water.
• Taco Seasoning - Use store bought taco seasoning or make it at home. I use a blend of chili powder, paprika, oregano and cumin powder.   Sometimes, to enhance the flavor of the soup I add a pinch of store bought taco seasoning along with the spices mentioned above.  
• Garnish - sour cream, avocado, chopped onions, cheese and tortilla chips.  Use a combination of the above garnishes or all of these.  

How to Cook?

Preparation of taco soup is easy and it is faster to cook on a stovetop than in an Instant Pot. However, Instant Pot makes it easy as you need not baby sit the pot while it is cooking. Regardless, it is done in 20 minutes.

• Saute onions and ground meat.
• Add tomatoes, spices, broth or water and boil until tomatoes are soft.
• Throw in beans, corn kernels and simmer until flavors blend in.
• Transfer to a bowl and garnish.
• When cooking in an Instant Pot, cook for 2 minutes in manual mode, NPR or QR after 10-15 minutes, add beans corn and simmer for a few minutes.

Can you Freeze the Soup?

Yes, it freezes well in the freezer. Freeze in 16 oz mason jars which is about 1 serving or any freezer safe container. I prefer storing in serving size containers as it is easy to thaw and reheat. Need not worry about leftovers.