sweet Taco Soup

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

■  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

■  1 to 1½ pounds ground beef

■  1 onion, chopped

■  1 (1.2-ounce) packet taco seasoning mix

■  1 (1- ounce) can dark red kidney  beans, drained

■  1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained

■  1 (28-ounce) can stewed whole  tomatoes with juice, broken up

■  1 (15-ounce) can Mexican-style diced  tomatoes, undrained

■  1 (11-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, undrained

■  ¼ cup jarred chili rounds ( jalapeno slices)

■  1 to 2 tablespoons juice from the chili rounds jar

■  1 (1.0-ounce) packet ranch-style salad dressing mix

■  1 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, cut into eight 1-inch

cubes

■  4 or 5 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips and fried, for garnish

■  Sour cream, for garnish

■  Chili powder, for garnish

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the ground beef, the onion, and half the taco seasoning. Drain off any excess fat and put the meat mixture in the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and the remaining taco seasoning. Stir to mix. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours.

To serve, place a cube of cheese in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup over the cheese and garnish with crispy tortilla strips, a dollop of sour cream, and a dusting of chili powder.

Cook’s Notes: Ground turkey breast meat 

may be substituted in place of the ground 

beef. If you prefer a thicker soup, do not 

drain the cans of beans, but do drain the 

canned corn.