fall

I love Fall. Cool breezes, long sleeves, crunchy leaves, and yummy soups. How unfortunate I live in the Deep South. Fall is practically non existent; a fleeting blip on the way from summer to winter.

Tuesday I made a big pot of taco soup to usher in my favorite season. It was indeed 90 degrees outside—but who cares.

I kind of adapted this recipe from somewhere. I really love beans so I added three kinds. It’s just a dump and cook soup, though. Super simple and very tasty!

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground sirloin
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch seasoning
1 chopped onion
1 small red or yellow bell pepper
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
A handful or two of frozen yellow corn
2 cups chicken broth
1 small jar of salsa (plus rinse out the jar with water and pour it in)

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a large pot. While browning, add the chopped onion and bell pepper. When the beef is browned and the vegetables are soft, drain it. Grease is not our friend.

Add beef back to the pot and stir in the beans {which have been drained and rinsed—I hate icky bean juice}, corn, tomatoes {with juice}, seasonings, chicken broth, salsa, and water.

Bring to a boil. Let it cook for about twenty minutes on simmer. At this point I taste it and adjust the seasoning. Salt and pepper usually, but if I want it to taste a little more “taco-ish” I add some cumin or chili powder.

I typically let it simmer for another fifteen minutes or so {longer if I’m waiting on my husband to get home from work}.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

Yummy.