Taco Soup

My diabolical plan to set myself up with leftovers for an easy weekend of cooking is complete.  Mwah ha ha haaaa....  Last night we had taco soup made in the crock pot and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.  We have enough of this soup leftover for one more dinner and a few lunches.  I love planned leftovers.  Not only is it economical, but I know that I can just kick my feet up this weekend, rely on the microwave to heat things up, spend time with the boys, and have the only dinner dishes be our plates and bowls.  Ahhhh....

A disclaimer:  my oldest didn't LOVE this soup, but he ate it because it had sour cream and cheese on top.  My youngest contented himself with the tortilla chips and little sips of soup when prodded.  So this may not be a kid favorite yet (although one would sure think it was).  However I loved it and would call it a winner myself, my husband loved it too.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Taco Soup by Joie de vivre

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 envelope dry taco seasoning

2 16oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 16oz. can of corn, drained

2 quarts of tomato juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper according to taste

tortilla chips, optional

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

sour cream, optional

1.  Brown the meat and onions in a skillet until onions are slightly brown (the meat doesn't need to be cooked completely).  Drain and add to the slow cooker insert.

2.  Add taco seasoning, black beans, corn, tomato juice, sugar, salt and black pepper to the slow cooker insert and give everything a stir.

3.  Cook on Low in your slow cooker for 6 hours.

4.  Ladle into soup bowls and top servings with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.