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Turkey Taco Soup is a staple recipe for the colder months of the year. It’s a cross between soup and chili and packed full of taco flavor! Top it with your favorite taco toppings for a healthy and hearty dinner.
This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 10/22/2014
There’s nothing like a cozy bowl of soup on a cold day. I’m especially fond of soups that are laced with Southwest and Mexican spices. This Mexican meatball soup and Southwest chicken and rice soup are a couple of my favorites. Not only does the hot soup warm you up, but heat from the spices does as well.
This turkey taco soup is my latest addition to my Southwest flavored soups. This soup uses a classic taco spice combination of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. I also added in smoked paprika, which I feel is a spice that isn’t used nearly enough in recipes. It has a wonderful smoky flavor without the heat that you would find if you used chipotle powder.
I also love this soup because of how hearty and filling it is. It’s almost like a chili, but slightly soupier. I love to top it with all my favorite taco toppings such as, shredded cheese, cilantro, plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream), green onions and chunks of avocado. You can of course eat it with a spoon, but I wouldn’t say no to using tortilla chips or a warm tortilla to scoop it up with!
Ingredients Needed to Make Turkey Taco Soup
- ground turkey
- yellow onion
- chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika and garlic powder
- frozen corn
- canned black beans and pinto beans
- diced green chiles
- fire roasted tomatoes
- low sodium chicken broth
- lime
- cheese, cilantro, avocado, green onion, plain Greek yogurt for toppings
How to Make Turkey Taco Soup
This is a very easy soup to make and one that doesn’t need a ton of time to cook. Start by cooking the onion, ground turkey and spices in a large pot. Once the turkey is browned and cooked through add in the corn, beans, green chiles, fire roasted tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat and simmer it for about 30 minutes. The soup is best served with all of your favorite taco toppings. I used cheese, avocado, plain Greek yogurt, cilantro and green onions for mine, but feel free to use whatever your favorite topping are.
Tips and FAQ
- For extra flavor, once the turkey is crumbled don’t stir it for several minutes. This will allow the meat to brown and browning means flavor. I also suggest not using extra lean or 99% lean ground turkey. There’s much more flavor in the meat if you buy one with a little fat in it. My preference is to use a 93% lean 7% fat.
Can I use ground beef instead of turkey?
Yes. Ground beef or ground chicken can both be used in place of the turkey.
Can I make this in the slow cooker?
Yes. If you choose to make this in the slow cooker you will still need to cook the onion, turkey and spices together before adding them to the slow cooker. Once you do that the remaining ingredients (minus the lime juice) will get added into the slow cooker, stirred together and cooked on low for 4-5 hours.
Can I freeze the soup?
Yes. Make sure the soup is completely cool and then transfer it to a freezer safe container. For the best flavor, I recommend using the soup within 2-3 months of freezing it.
Turkey Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 lime, juiced
- shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, green onions, plain Greek yogurt for toppings
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add in the diced onion, ground turkey, spices, salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon break up the turkey into crumbles. Brown the turkey and onion until the turkey is no longer pink.
- Add the corn, beans, green chiles, fire roasted tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover the soup with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed. Squeeze in the lime juice and serve topped with shredded cheese, cilantro, diced avocado, green onions and plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this tonight for supper. Had no green chilies soI added tomatoes and a quarter tsp of red pepper. Also added onions and garlic powder. Came out fantastic! Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for making the soup Nancy!
Made this last night and it was a HUGE hit! Love this dish!!
Thank you so much for trying out the soup Mariem! I’m so happy to hear it was a hit! :-)
Uh YUM! Zach would go NUTS over this! I’m thinking the perfect sit by the fire, warm you up kind of soup! Love it girl! xo
Thanks Justine! This soup is a total fireside meal! Just be sure to give Zach a big bowl of ice cream after dinner!
Love this so much! Packed full of flavor, so easy to make, my boys would go crazy for this!
Thanks Matt! I think kids will really like it, especially with all the toppings!