Taco Soup and Cornbread-It’s What’s For Dinner

This weather is STILL getting to me, so I do what I do best….eat. My Taco Soup recipe is an adaptation of the famous “Weight Watchers” one. Like every recipe, I always tweak it here and there to my liking. I’ve also included my Sour Cream Buttermilk Cornbread recipe. This soup recipe is super easy and you can throw it all together in a crock pot in the morning, then make the cornbread when you get home.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey (or beef if you prefer)
• 1 tsp. cooking oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 can pinto beans (drained)
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 2 cans light red kidney beans (drained)
• 2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)
• 1 can Original Rotel
• 1 can petite diced stewed tomatoes
• 2 pks. 1 oz. Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (powder)
• 2 pks 1 oz. taco seasoning mix
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups water
• Optional: sour cream and shredded cheddar for topping.

Directions:

• Heat oil in medium skillet. Add ground turkey, breaking up with back of spoon.
• When turkey is about 1/2 way done browning, add chopped onion.
• Finish cooking until turkey is no longer pink, and onions are translucent.
• In a crock pot or large cooking pot, add turkey & onions.
• Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Add more water if you want a thinner soup.
• Cook on low in crock pot for 4-6 hours, or on stovetop for 1 –1.5 hours.
• Top with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and/or diced avocados and tortilla chips.

*Don’t add extra salt….the seasoning mix has a lot in them.

*This soup freezes really well. In fact, I think it’s better AFTER it’s been frozen. I usually double this recipe, and freeze the other half.

*We like to eat our soup with cornbread….here’s my recipe…..

Sour Cream Buttermilk Cornbread

FYI-This is not a sweet cornbread like the Jiffy mix, and it ain’t low fat girlfriends.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs. mayonnaise
• 3 Tbs. butter (the real deal butter)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put butter in a 10-inch iron skillet and put in oven.
• In the meantime, mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Add rest of ingredients and stir thoroughly until mixed.
• Let rest a few minutes.
• Check skillet and make sure the butter is completely melted and starting to bubble. You don’t want it to start to brown too much.
• When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, add batter.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick in center comes out clean.

*You can also make these as muffins if you don’t have an iron skillet. You don’t have to preheat the muffin tins, just spray with cooking spray.

Enjoy!!!!