Saturday, December 5, 2009

Taco soup made healthier

This post is part of the Whole Food for the Holidays Progressive Dinner! My family LOVES taco soup! Even my picky toddler will gobble it down if I tone down the spiciness with some sour cream or cream cheese. We have really enjoyed THIS recipe but since I'm trying to make all my recipes healthier, I wanted to do without the packaged taco seasoning. And I had a leftover cup of butternut squash that needed to be used, so I thought I'd give it a try. I also randomly decided to throw in some spinach to see if anyone minded. I was utterly amazed that it didn't bother them at all and my husband actually said that it was the best taco soup I had made yet! So hopefully I can remember how I did it :)

Ingredients:
1 pound taco meat
1 cup (or more, depending on how thick you want it) of home-made chicken stock
1 jar organic salsa
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can organic Italian style diced tomatoes (make sure you look at ingredients to make sure there is no HFCS!!!)
1 1/2 cup soaked, cooked beans (we like black beans, but you can use whatever you like)
1 1/2 cup frozen organic corn
1 cup of butternut squash puree (optional)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
chili powder to taste if it is not spicy enough for you

Directions: If you are making taco meat, saute the green peeper and onion with the ground beef until tender, adding in the other ingredients as the recipe call for them. Then add the taco meat along with all the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low all day. If your taco meat is already made, just throw it along with everything else into the crock pot. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and chips or on top of quinoa.

4 comments:

Beth said...

We love taco soup too! I've made it the last three weekends, LOL I'll have to keep your recipe in mind and try it next time.

Jessica said...

This is a staple on our table when it is cold! I will so try this one this week! I will let you know the response.

Jessica said...

This is a staple on our table when it is cold! I will so try this one this week! I will let you know the response.

Virginia bed and breakfast | Victorian inn bed and breakfast | Romantic bed and breakfasts said...

Wow!! thanks for sharing the healthy recipe. It is very easy meal that tastes even better. It makes plenty, it's economical, and it's quick. Most of the ingredients are non-perishable and it can be doubled for a larger group. The only thing to remember is to use the very lean turkey or ground beef to avoid. We only use the turkey or chicken in my household, even though ground beef is probably cheaper. It tastes just as good, either way.

Regards,