20-Minute Taco Soup with Dry Ranch Dressing

Name: 🥣 20-Minute Taco Soup with Dry Ranch Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1-2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 lb ground turkey; 1-1.25 oz package taco seasoning (or 2.5-3 Tbsp ); 1 oz dry ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp ); 15 oz kidney beans (rinsed & drained ); 15 oz pinto beans (rinsed & drained ); 28 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies; 1 cup frozen corn; 4 cups beef broth; Tortilla chips; Sour cream; Shredded cheddar; Lime wedges

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Get ready for a flavor explosion and taste our Taco Soup with Ranch! This hearty soup blends ground turkey, beans and tasty veggies, all simmered to perfection with zesty seasoning. In just 20 minutes, enjoy a comforting bowl of goodness that will keep everyone coming back for seconds!

A bowl of taco soup with ranch topped with chips, avocado, cheese and sour cream.

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This taco soup has been an absolute staple in our home for years, and it’s easy to understand why. The warm, hearty mix of ground turkey, beans, corn, tomatoes and broth, simmered with zesty seasoning, strikes just the right balance of comfort and spice. Like our sausage soup with orzo, this taco soup is so simple to make and can be thrown together on a busy weeknight or lazy weekend.

Note: If you enjoy hearty Mexican-style soups, give our kid-friendly chili and white bean soup a try!

🧡 Why We Love this Taco Soup with Ranch

Zesty! The taco seasoning and dry ranch truly make the flavors of this soup pop! The tomatoes and green chilies offer even more of a kick and bring the whole dish together.

One Pot. Our taco soup with ranch comes together in just 20 minutes, using one pot, and requires absolutely no chopping. It’s our very best dump-and-go recipe, using lots of pantry staples!

Freezer-friendly. Double this recipe and easily freeze a batch for later!

Customizable. Switch up the meat, swap out the beans, or throw in extra veggies. Everyone can also customize their taco soup with their favorite toppings—cheese, sour cream, chipotle crema, crunchy tortilla chips, whatever they like.

🤫 The Secret Ingredient….Ranch!

That’s right, this taco soup would not be the same without dry ranch dressing! The ranch isn’t super overpowering; it just rounds out the taco flavor of the soup and adds some extra tang that you simply cannot do without!

We have made this soup many times using a 1 oz package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix, but honestly, we make this soup SO MUCH that I ended up buying a whole container of the Ranch seasoning. Worth noting is that 1 oz of dry ranch (the amount this recipe calls for) equals 3 Tbsp of Hidden Valley dry ranch seasoning.

🛒 Ingredients & Substitutions

Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

Ingredients laid out for taco soup with ranch.

Not pictured: olive oil.

Ground turkey– You can also use ground beef or ground chicken.
Seasoning– Choose you favorite brand of taco and ranch seasoning. Our favorites are McCormick Taco Seasoning and Hidden Valley Ranch.
Beans– We like a combination of kidney and pinto, but you can stick with one type of bean or add another variety, like black beans or white kidney beans.
Tomatoes and green chilies give the soup its spicy and smoky flavor! If you prefer less heat, simply use diced tomatoes without green chilies.
Corn– Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of corn as desired.
Broth– While we like the deeper flavor of beef broth, chicken broth/stock also works really well.

👩🏼‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1: Brown the turkey.

Step 2. Add the taco seasoning, ranch mix, beans, tomatoes, corn and broth. Stir together.

Step 3: Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Taco soup topped with sour cream, avocado and cheese.

Step 4. Serve with your favorite toppings.

White bowl filled with taco soup and toppings with side of cheese.

👦🏼 Kid Cooking Steps

Break up turkey using a Potato Masher or spatula. Just be sure to not use a metal masher on a non-stick pan.
Empty contents of cans into pot. This is an easy and fun task for little ones. Just make sure they rinse and drain the beans first.
Dress up the soup! Kids will love making a bowl with their favorite toppings.

🥑 Make a Toppings Bar!

One of the best parts about this taco soup is adding the toppings! There are so many garnish options to enhance the flavors, so have some fun with it!

Tortilla chips are an absolute must…corn-based, whole grain, whatever you like! Additionally, we like to add shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack or Muenster), a dollop of sour cream, and sliced avocado. Other options: A dab of guacamole or chipotle crema, chopped red onion, cilantro, slices of lime, and hot sauce.

✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks

Use the right sized pot. This recipe makes a lot of soup, so you need to be able to accommodate all the liquid. A 6-quart pot will work well.
Cover your pot with a lid to help it boil faster.
Use a potato masher or spatula to break up ground turkey as it browns.
Increase the heat by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes, a couple dashes of hot sauce, and/or thin jalapeño slices to your bowl.
Make this dish vegetarian by omitting the ground turkey and swapping beef broth for vegetable broth.
Simmer soup for longer if you have time. The longer the soup cooks, the more flavorful it will be!
Be prepared to add more broth to any leftovers, as some ingredients tend to absorb liquid while stored.

👧🏼 Tips for Picky Eaters

Swap the veggies. Consider swapping out some of the veggies in the soup for ones your kids enjoy more, or adjust the quantity of veggies. For example, Julie’s family loves corn, so she added an extra ½ cup!
Kids pick a side! Kids can pair this ranch taco soup with some cornbread, toast, or tortilla chips. Or use extra shredded cheddar to make a cheese quesadilla for your kids to enjoy on the side.
Ice cubes! My kids tend to be a bit dramatic about food being too hot. Haha! If yours are the same, let them drop 1-2 ice cubes into the soup and stir it around.

Soup made from taco ingredients like turkey, beans and tomatoes with toppings.

🧊 Storing and Reheating

Store– Store leftover your taco soup with ranch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Be prepared to add more broth to your leftovers, as some ingredients can absorb it.

Freeze– Store in the freezer (before adding any toppings) in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Reheat– If frozen, thaw the broth and veggies in the refrigerator. Then, bring the soup to a simmer on the stove, adding extra broth as needed.

🥗 Side Suggestions

While this soup is hearty on its own, there are a ton of sides that will compliment it nicely:

Chips and Guacamole
Cornbread– The best part about enjoying bread with your soup is the dipping!
Veggies– Our family’s go-to sides are carrot sticks and sliced cucumbers with salad dressing as a dip.
Salad– Mixed greens, caesar salad or even a bean salad would compliment this soup.
Quesadillas– Who doesn’t love a simple cheese quesadilla?! Or, if you want something heartier, try our turkey quesadillas or steak quesadillas.

❓ FAQ

Can I use a different type of meat?

Yes, you can swap the ground turkey for ground chicken or ground beef. You can also omit the meat entirely to make this a vegetarian taco soup. Just be sure to swap the beef broth for vegetable broth.

How can I thicken my taco soup?

There are a few ways to thicken this soup:
1. Use a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch. We recommend whisking together 1 cup broth and 2 Tbsp cornstarch in a Pyrex container. Then, slowly add that mixture into your soup pot, stirring until you reach your desired thickness.
2. Simmer the soup for longer, uncovered, until you reach your desired thickness.
3. Add more beans! Toss in another can of beans. You can also scoop out some of the cooked beans, mash them (by hand or with an immersion blender), and return to the pot to thicken your soup.

How can I make this soup spicier?

To increase the heat, consider adding a pinch of red pepper flakes, a couple dashes of hot sauce, and/or thin jalapeño slices to your bowl.

Can I double this soup?

Yes, we have doubled this taco soup with ranch many times and often end up freezing leftovers! Just be sure to use a pot large enough pot to accommodate 12 servings (or cups) of soup. You can also use two pots to avoid spillover.

🥄 Other Soups We Love

🎃 Craft for this Recipe

Hold on to those empty tin cans and let kids transform them into these adorable felt pumpkins while you cook! With just some glue, felt, and empty tin cans, kids can create the cutest table decorations for their next Halloween party. Then, once the pumpkins are ready, fill them with utensils, candy, or snacks, and let the fun begin!

Child holding two felt pumpkins made from decorated empty tin cans.

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