I just finished off a big bowl of leftovers for lunch. Yum. Making Jambalaya last week reminded me of how easy the crockpot is and lately, I've been wanting spicy Mexican food. The problem is it tastes so good but isn't so great for the waistline. I"m certainly not claiming that this recipe is "real" Mexican food (or as good as Burrito Express.) but it's got a great flavor and is probably healthier than that JVC burrito that I wanted.
This recipe is half of the original and serves 4 but you can double it up and serve a whole lot of hungry people! The meat is optional and can easily be vegetarian if you leave it out. Every night I hope against hope every night that my daughter will eat what the grown ups are eating, so I toned down the spice in the recipe and added tabasco and red pepper flakes at the table.
No picture - imagine chili and that's about what it looks like.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup (4 servings)
from A Year of Crockpotting
1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 onion, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (Ro-Tel)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 packet ranch seasoning (I used Hidden Valley)
2 T diced green chiles from a can (or jalapenos)
For serving: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips
Brown the meat with the onion and drain the fat. Put it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Add the corn and tomatoes without draining, the seasonings, and the chiles. Stir and add 1/2 - 1 cup of water so it looks a little soupy.
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. We broke up some tortilla chips and put them in our soup bowls, ladled the taco soup over the chips, and topped with the cheese and sour cream.
Yum. Sue has a similar recipe that she and I have been making for the last couple years, though I usually do all the above in a regular pot on the stove and cook it just long enough to heat it through--about 10/15 minutes. What's the benefit of using the crock pot for this recipe? Is it tastier for cooking longer?
ReplyDeleteI've had a few versions of this at friend's houses over the years but it hasn't been in my repertoire. For me, I like to put dinner together earlier in the day so that's a benefit but I notice the flavors are better the longer it cooks and even though they're canned beans, they get nice and soft and plump.
ReplyDeleteAh... forethought. I'll get some of that someday. Hadn't thought of that benefit! I do notice that it tastes better the next day when I make it, so it makes sense that it would taste better if simmered for awhile in the crock pot. I think I'll make this tonight, actually. =)
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