This article originally featured in the January 2021 issue of Connect.
Taco, not Tako. There is no octopus in this soup.
Meg Luedtke (Fukui)
Tacos and soup were two foods I never expected to ever go together, but it quickly became one of my favorite cold weather meals after my step-mother introduced it to me many years ago. It’s actually a borderline addiction, considering how often I make it. It’s a simple but flavorful meal, with the potential for lots of customization, allowing you to make it perfect for your personal tastes!
Servings: 5
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
~500 grams of lean ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) jar of salsa
14 ounces of water (1 and 3/4 cups)
1 beef broth bouillon cube
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 packet of taco seasoning*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
Shredded cheese
Additional ingredients of your preference**
*If you don’t have taco seasoning you can make your own using 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon of ground paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
**You can add other ingredients such as black or pinto beans, jalapenos, diced tomatoes, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. But the above are the primary ingredients I use.
Directions:
- On one stove top, put water in a large pot. Bring water to a light boil and add a beef broth bouillon cube. Let water and bouillon simmer and dissolve while working on other things.
- On another stove top, heat a large pan over medium-high heat, drizzle lightly with oil.
- Once the oil has heated up, add ground beef to the large pan, brown the meat, and season. After seasoning, add chopped onion, stirring occasionally until caramelized. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Drain excess fat from beef mixture.
- Add your ground beef into the beef broth. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce, and extra seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot with lid and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in corn and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serve into bowls and add cheese as well as any other desired toppings for a tasty meal to keep you warm this winter!
Meg Luedtke is a Fukui Assistant Language Teacher from America and the current Head Designer for CONNECT. She spends most of her free time exploring (or at least the areas she can for now) and taking photos, reading manga, or playing games (dying over and over again in her most recent addiction, Hades).
