Taco Soup (Guest Post)

Some of you may know that I am doing this blog for a class, and also because I am enjoying the whole process of the blog; but one ofthe requirement for the class is that I have a Guest Post and I chose another Foodie, my professor Cyndi Allison. Below is Cyndi's Guest Post...

Taco Soup

I was pleased when Raven asked me to guest post on her Meals $25 or Less. She’s always been one of my favorite students, and I’m excited that she shares my passion for cooking and is also blogging up great food for everyone. The budget slant on Raven’s food blog is a plus and not just for college students. With the economy now, I think we can all appreciate a good home cooked meals that don’t bust the budget.

What to Cook on a $25 Budget?

Being southern and a single Mom, I can stretch a dollar and that includes meals (although we aren’t skimping on taste). Thinking of college students, I wanted something simple to make that also would pop with flavor. The first meal that came to mind was Taco Soup, and even after more thought, that recipe kept coming back to my mind.

Story of Taco Soup

It seems rather fitting that Taco Soup would be the recipe I’d share, because I first got the recipe fifteen years ago when teaching public speaking at the community college.  One of my delightful returning students showed us how to make Taco Soup for her demonstration speech. She got an “A” of course, and I am still making this yummy, low cost meal all these years later.

Ingredients to Make Taco Soup:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 can of petite diced tomatoes (29 ounces)   

2 cans kidney beans (14 ounces each)

1 can hominy (14 ounces each) – can also use canned corn drained well

1 pack dry taco seasoning mix

1 pack dry Ranch dressing mix (do not mix up as dressing – just use the powdered mix)

Shredded cheese (8 ounce bag shredded or a block home shredded which costs less)

1 bag nacho chips (tortilla chips)

How to Make Taco Soup

1. You’ll need to cook the meat and drain off the extra fat.

2. Then, you just put everything in a stove cooking pot or a crock pot.

3. The Taco Soup is ready as soon as it heated through, but it smells great while simmering and gives the flavors time to meld. I like to put the Taco Soup in the crock pot in the morning on low with it ready for dinner.  In a hurry, I do it on the stove top after work.

4. Just serve the Taco Soup in bowls like chili and put cheese and nacho chips on top for decoration and flavor.

Budget Tip

This recipe is hard to mess up. If you have a bigger group or more people than expected, you can add more beans or hominy without a lot of extra cost. You can also change up the beans watching sales. Pintos and black beans (drained) work well in the recipe too.  I like to do a combination with 2 cans of kidney beans and one can of black beans for more flavor and color (all cans around 14 ounces or a total in that range of weight).

Everyone Loves Taco Soup

The name sounds kind of strange, but Taco Soup is like a mild but flavorful chili with that Tex-Mex feel.  I make this recipe for my family often and have made it for school classes and for church dinners. I’m often asked for the recipe, and it’s nice to have one that is so easy and virtually impossible to bomb to give out.

Cyndi Allison Bio

I’ve been Raven’s college professor and mentor for four years now at Catawba College, and she is in my blogging class – Online Publication. Someone is going to be lucky to get Raven as an employee when she graduates this year. She is top notch.

I teach a range of classes, but I especially love teaching writing classes and advising for the college newspaper (where Raven is the Graphics Editor). I’m also a blogger (which certainly helps when teaching a blogging class), and my most popular blog is also on cooking (but outdoors). Barbecue Master is my grilling space where I share outdoor cooking recipes, tips, and product reviews in the area of barbecue.