A few easy to grab ingredients and a slow cooker are all you need to make this tasty Slow Cooker Taco Soup for dinner! Serve it as is or top with sour cream and cheese!!!
This post and recipe is sponsored by Harris Teeter. Thank you for supporting brands like this that make BigBearsWife.com possible!
I know I’ve told y’all this before, and I try not to throw a lot of baby stuff and baby talk into every blog post, but y’all….. growing a tiny human is exhausting. I mean I knew people told me that pregnancy makes you super tired but this is insane. I’m so tired some days that I’m fighting myself to keep my eyes open and to keep my head up.
I have been so lucky though because when it comes to food and dinner, Thomas has been a HUGE help. He’ll pick up something for dinner or he’ll cook some nights and that’s just been a saving grace for me. Y’all know how much I love to cook and lacking the energy to do so has really been a bummer for me.
However, even with being super tired, I still WANT to cook. So meals like this Slow Cooker Taco Soup have been my go-to when I have the need to cook but the lack of energy to really do it.
Since Thomas and I are expecting our little one, I’ve noticed that we’ve been going on a lot more “around town dates” on the weekends. We pretty much spend the entire weekend together and do everything from grocery shopping, to baby shopping, movie dates and we soak up relaxing time at home. YES, we go on grocery store dates haha. After 10 years together, when you’re getting ready to grow your little family, you make any event into “time to spend with each other”.
So the other weekend on one of our grocery dates, we stopped into Harris Teeter to grab a few things after baby gear shopping. I was on the hunt for items for Taco Soup! Taco Soup, a meal I knew I could throw together for dinner, fulfill my need to cook without over working myself.
Not only was I on the hunt for items to make a dish that didn’t take all my energy but I was also on the hunt for low prices, as always. haha
How do I do that? Store brands, y’all! It’s something I’ve been doing ever since we got married and although it took me a while to get Thomas on board with store brand name items at the grocery store, they’ve been a saving grace when it comes to keeping my grocery bill down. Oh and y’all know we need all the help we can get with our little one on the way!
Want to make your own Slow Cooker Taco Soup at home? You just need a few things! You’ll need to pick up 2 pounds of ground beef; we try to stick to lean ground beef.
You’re going to want to pick up some taco seasonings and a few other spices (that you might already have in your spice cabinet).
Oh and look at this cheese I found! It’s perfect for Taco Soup!
Then of course you’ll need some beef broth and cans of corn and beans. You can find the entire ingredients list below! Ps. I add orzo pasta to our taco soup because I love it, but you can add any small shaped pasta!
Now, let’s get to cooking!
First step is going to be to brown the ground beef. Now my slow cooker has a stove top setting so I can brown beef right in the slow cooker before I add everything else. If you don’t have that option you can just brown your ground beef in a skillet, drain the grease and then add that beef to your slow cooker.
Next, you’re going to want to add your spices. I add garlic powder, chili powder and cumin to our taco soup.
Plus two packets of taco seasoning. You’re going to want to add 1 packet for every pound of beef you use.
After you stir that seasoning in good, add in the diced tomatoes, corn and beans.
Stir in all of the beef broth.
Cover and let this soup cook for about 3 hours and 30 minutes on low.
After 3 hours and 30 minutes, remove the lid, give it a stir and add in 1 cup of dry orzo pasta.
Cover and let the pasta cook in the soup for 30 minutes.
Uncover, stir and serve hot! If you find that the soup is a little too thick to your liking, just add a little water or extra beef broth and stir well.
You can serve this as is right out of the slow cooker…which is how Thomas loves it.
Or you can top it with cheese and sour cream! That’s how I like my taco soup!
Also, before you ask, YES you can 100% make this on the stove top. Just simmer this for about an 30 minutes or 45 minutes until super hot and then add in the pasta for about 20-30 minutes or until done.
So earlier in the post I told y’all how this recipe was all about me being able to cook and not use all my energy but did you catch the part about using store brand, private label items?
If not, let me share this with you. I have been using store brands for about 10 years now, 99% of the time they’re they exact same quality as name brands, they’re just a heck of a lot cheaper!
How cheap? Well I made this Slow Cooker Soup using Harris Teeter’s private label branded items. I got about 16 cups of soup out of this recipe, and if we were going to say 2 cups is one serving, I made this taco soup for about $2.50 cents per serving! However if you’re like me and 1 cup of soup is perfect for you, well we just made dinner for about $1.25 per serving.
That’s exactly the kind of meals I love!
Also, if you do go shop at Harris Teeter, don’t forget to sign up for their VIC rewards card while you’re there. I saved even more money by letting them scan my card at check out!
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
A few easy to grab ingredients and a slow cooker are all you need to make this tasty Slow Cooker Taco Soup for dinner! Serve it as is or top with sour cream and cheese!!!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 2 cans (15.25 oz each) diced, fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
- 1 can (15 oz) seasoned black beans, drained
- 1 can (15.25 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained
- 1 can (15.25 oz) sweet corn, drained
- 2 packets (1.5 oz each) taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Cheese and Sour Cream optional for toppings
Instructions
- Brown beef in a medium skillet over medium heat (or cook beef in your slow cooker over medium heat if your slow cooker has a stovetop burner feature)
- Drain grease.
- Add beef to slow cooker.
- Season beef with garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
- Stir in taco seasoning.
- Add corn, kidney beans, black beans and diced tomatoes.
- Stir together.
- Add in beef broth. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hour and 30 minutes.
- After 3 hours and 30 minutes, add in dry orzo pasta. Stir. Cover and cook for 30 minutes on low.
- Serve hot as is or top with sour cream and cheese before serving.
- If reheating - add a little water or beef broth to soup before reheating as soup will get thicker as it cools.
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Catherine says
This looks delicious. Is it freezer friendly? I absolutely loved soup during and after pregnancy. I am going to try this for sure!
Angie says
It normally doesn’t last long enough for us to freeze it haha but I just stuck some in the freezer this morning to test out!
xzz says
looks really delicious; one of the best instructional presentation I have read.
Joanne @ No Plate Like Home says
This looks really good. I’d never think to put Orzo in it. That would make it even more hearty. I have a slow cooker chili recipe on my site too and put honey in it to sweeten it up a tad.
Angie says
ooo honey is a good idea for the chili!! Yep, I added orzo to thicken it up a but and because I wanted something for the “taco shell” represented in there hahaha
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
This wouldn’t last long at our house! Love the addition of orzo!
melissa king says
Glad your husband is so helpful! Its so true, growing a human is exhausting!
This looks so comforting and delicious. Perfect for fall!
Nicole Taggart says
yum! perfect for football watching. I can’t wait for this season!
Taylor Kiser says
This looks so delicious! Love how easy it is to make too!
Bri says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Where did you get a slow cooker with a stove top setting that’s not an instant pot? I would love to have one of those in my arsenal of cooking gadgets!
Angie says
Hi Bri! It’s a Ninja Slow Cooker! I love it!
Bri says
Thank you!! I will be looking for it!!