New Recipe Night: Taco Soup

It was cold outside.

It was snowing.

I was hungry.

And feeling lazy.

What to make???

Ingredients:

*1 pound ground beef

*1 large onion, chopped
*1 envelope taco seasoning mix
*1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
*1 (16 ounce) can hot ranch beans
*1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
*1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
*1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes and chiles
*1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Directions:

1) Brown meat and onions together


2) Mix taco seasoning mix into meat.


3) Mix all other ingredients without draining into a large pot. Add meat and simmer for 1 hour.


Some tiny changes to the recipe.....I used Del Monte fiesta corn with peppers in it and pinto beans with green peppers to add some extra "umph" to the soup. I love easy recipes that you can toss in a pot and wait while the smell finds your nostrils and reminds you what you have cooking on the stove. Our easy dinner paired well with the weather outside. Could there be a more perfect day to make such a dish......

I popped some cornbread in the oven to have with our soup. It was my first batch I'd ever made (surprise, surprise). Not homemade by any means. It came from a bag (surprise, surprise). A very tasty bag I might add. I used the Shawnee Mills mexican cornbread mix and added a handful of cheese to the mixture before I poured it in the pan. It turned out so good! But I think next time I'll use a smaller pan to make thicker pieces of bread....

The ranch dressing mix definitely added a different dimension to the recipe. Ranch dressing and mexican food? Sounded strange to me. But tasted perfect. Try it! Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!