taste of tuesday: taco soup

I'm not a fan of taco soup. Or at least I wasn't until I made this one. I liked that I could incorporate ground turkey and use up some of the cans in my food storage to create a cheap meal. And it made a large pot so we had plenty of leftovers for Aaron to take to work. So glad my husband eats leftovers. enjoy.Taco Soup
(Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (could also try ground turkey)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1.25-oz. packet taco seasoning (about 1/4 c.)
• 3 c. water, divided
• 2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained

Directions:

Heat a large soup pot over medium. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. When almost brown, add the taco seasoning and 1 c. water. Add the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 2 c. water, bring to a medium boil, then, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings: chips, avocado, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo.

Slow Cooker Instructions: After browning the meat, place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

Freezer Instructions: Because of all the canned goods, you'll just take up a lot of space in your freezer if you freeze the whole recipe. However, after it's been cooked, the leftovers freeze extremely well. You can even try freezing individual portions in 12-oz. freezer-safe containers and then reheating them for a quick lunch.