Taco soup revisited: less junk, more yummy goodness

I’ve been making Taco Soup for years since 1 cup equals 4 Weight Watchers POINTS. It’s so delicious my family loves it, too.

Over time, I’ve tried to “health it up” by eliminating the dry ranch dressing (too fake in my opinion) and using store brand organic canned beans and corn. Since my kids thought the diced green chilies made the soup too hot, I’ve switched to using Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies instead. They give the soup a smoky and spicy flavor.

Finally, if you have a leftover can of pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving, add it to the soup. It will add fiber and increase the veggie content of the soup and the other ingredients will cover up the pumpkin flavor.

Taco Soup Revisited

(1 cup = 4 Weight Watchers POINTS)

Brown 1 lb. very lean chopped meat (I used ground venison) with one large diced onion in a large stew pot.

Add:

• 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
• 16 oz canned tomato sauce
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!) OPTIONAL
• two 16 oz of beans, rinsed – you can use kidney, pinto, garbanzo, black beans or a combination
• 16 oz canned yellow corn, drained
• 1 packet of McCormick’s taco seasoning mix 
• 1 1/2 cup water

Heat to boiling. Immediately lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve.

Tips:

• If you’re watching your sodium intake, try McCormick’s taco seasoning mix with 30% less sodium
• If you buy the big bottle of McCormick’s taco seasoning mix from Costco use 1/3 to 1/4 cup.
• I recommend Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin Puree. It’s also great in This Mama’s Healthy Pumpkin Curry Soup.
• You can use ground turkey, chicken or bison instead of beef or venison. Omit meat completely to make a vegetarian version (or use soy crumbles instead).
• Add cilantro and a scoop of salsa as garnish.
• Double the recipe and freeze half for later.
• This is a great dish to make for a large group, potlucks or the Super Bowl.

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Posted on January 9, 2010 in Recipes,Soups,Weight Watchers and tagged as healthy recipes, Super Bowl

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