Easy and Delicious Taco Soup!

This recipe was made at the request of a friend and classmate of DH. He had mentioned it to me several times, and we finally orchestrated a day to make it. It was amazingly simple and absolutely delicious. Primarily from canned ingredients, its the perfect 'pantry soup' and is great on a cool winter evening.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
2 cans Ro-tel Tomatoes (one with Habaneros and one mild.)
1 large white onion (chopped)
1 can of pinto beans (rinsed)
1 can of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2.5 cups of water

* Sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips for serving *

Step 1.
Brown the meat and onions together. Coat with taco seasoning (I do not add the extra water).

Step 2.
While the meat is browning, rinse and drain all that needs it, and dump all the cans into a slow cooker set to LOW.

Step 3. 
Mix ranch dressing and water together until dissolved. Add to slow cooker.

Step 4.
Add in meat and onions.

Step 5.
Cover and simmer on LOW for about 7 hours.

Step 6.
Serve with your fav toppings and enjoy!

This was sure a hit! I served it for 7 and there was just enough. We topped it with sour cream and cheddar cheese.  ... There was also cornbread but I won't share that recipe. DH made it, and while it did turn out the recipe wasn't the same one I had used and there wasn't enough of the batter to adequately fill the cast iron skillet. Unfortunately during that part of the meal prep I was busy taking my midterm. Everyone was happy, sang praises for me (*blush.. it wasn't my recipe!*) and had nice warm full bellies!

So I recommend this as an easy and delicious soup. You could make this into a nice chili by doubling the beans and only using 1 cup of water. I might do that next time!

** Thanks David for the great idea!