Favorite Taco Soup

 

TACO SOUP

Notes:  This recipe is from Suzie’s NE friend, Michelle M.
Servings: Approximately 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. Hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 oz. can Chopped Green Chilis
1 Pkg. (1.25oz.) Taco Seasoning (we make our own Taco Seasoning Mix)
1 pkg (1oz.) Ranch mix
2 cans (15oz.) Chili Recipe Stewed Tomatoes (I can my own Mexican Stewed Tomatoes)
2 cans (15oz.) Bush’s Hot Chili Beans (generally use the store brand)
1 ½ -2 cups Water
8oz. Mexican Blend Cheeses
1 Bag Fritos (Ranch or Chili Cheese Flavored are good, but plain Fritos are used more often at our home)
8oz Sour Cream (we use more sour cream!)

DIRECTIONS:
Brown hamburger & chopped onion, drain grease. Add chopped green chilies, beans, tomatoes, taco & ranch seasonings, and water. Simmer 30-45 minutes for best results or let it simmer in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. Serve soup over the Fritos. Then, top with cheese and sour cream.

FREEZING:
Cool completely.  Transfer to a gallon freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible.  Double bag for safety!  Label and freeze on a cookie tray to keep the bag flat.

PREPARATION:
Thaw in the frig or in microwave.  Reheat on the stove or in a crock pot.  Serve soup over Fritos.  Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Mexican Stewed Tomatoes

 

This is the recipe I’ve used for over 12 years to make Mexican Stewed Tomatoes.  It’s my ‘secret’ ingredient in Taco Soup!

Mexican Stewed Tomatoes (#2)

Yield: 7 quarts

Ingredients:

• 24 cups chopped tomatoes – I prefer Roma because they are meatier and have a great texture
• 5 cups onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups green pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups red pepper, chopped – I have substituted banana or green peppers
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 Tbls. dried parsley
• 3 1/2 Tbls. cumin
• 8 Tbls. chili powder
• 3 Tbls. oregano
• 4 Tbls. salt
• 4 Tbls. sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large stock pot – or divide into two large pots.  Bring to simmering and simmer for 20 minutes to blend flavors together.  During this time, prepare the pressure canner, jars, lids, screw bands, etc.  After simmering, ladle hot tomatoes into warm quart jars, leaving 1” head space.  Seal and place in pressure canner.  Process quarts for 20 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure.

  Tomatoes, waiting to ripen or be processed

  This is my tomato ‘set-up’.

  Strainer on the cooktop holds washed tomatoes; boiling water in the pot … tomatoes go into the water for 10 seconds to loosen the skins.

  Then, they are plunged into ice cold water to cool.  I peel and core the tomatoes.  Lucky laying hens get to peck at the skins and cores.

  Cored & skinned tomatoes.  I need this 6 quart container filled with tomatoes.

  Chopped onions, peppers, & garlic.

   Seasonings (some are already mixed into the vegetables.

   After simmering for 20 minutes.

   This is my mom’s All American Stainless Steel Canner – no rubber seals to worry about.  7 quarts go into the canner.  After processing, the canner cools on the stovetop.  It’s cool when I can unscrew the lid.  The jars will be removed to cool on a wood cutting board for 24 hours.  After that time, I label and store in the root cellar.     

* Now, obviously these simplified directions leave out a lot of pressure canning steps … I take for granted that if you are interested in trying this recipe, that you have pressure canned in prior years.  If this is your first go-round, I suggest either purchasing the Ball Blue Book of Pressure Canning or checking out your state’s extension website for complete directions.  Each year before my first pressure canning batch, I re-read the instructions for my canner.  Pressure canning involves attention to detail and you may want to prepare and can your first batch of produce under the supervision of an experienced canner.  However, acquiring experience in this method of canning can be a wonderful way to keep up an age-old tradition and it’s a great way to store excess garden produce.

**This recipe must be canned with a pressure canner because it includes low acid ingredients (celery, onion, peppers, seasonings).  It CANNOT be canned using a water bath process.

Keeping ahead of the green & yellow zucchini!

 

Coming up with different ways to use zucchini has been elusive.  Mainly because by the time I ‘find’ my zucchini they’ve grown to the length of baseball bats and the diameter of at least a softball.  However, if I can harvest every - or every other - day and get the squash when they are smaller, it’s much easier to keep ahead and use them up faster.  This dish is a take-off of a recipe I found in a magazine.  The seasoning is mild and not too spicy.

 

Mexican Spaghetti

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. ground beef
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 8 oz. spaghetti, broken into thirds
• 1 Tbls. olive oil
• 5 or 6 small zucchini (I used both colors), cut into slices

Directions:

If you haven’t already browned the meat, do so now.  Drain it and set it aside.  Saute the sliced zucchini in the olive oil until softened & slightly browned.  Set aside. 

In a large skillet – I used my wok because it’s large & non-stick – combine the water, tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, salt & cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in the spaghetti pieces; return to boiling.  Boil for 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the zucchini.  Cook an additional 4 minutes or until the spaghetti is tender.  Stir in the ground beef.  Serve immediately.

Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup

I haven't been menu planning the last few weeks. I've been gone A LOT and this week just came on too fast. So, I told my Fargo friends that I'm 'flying by the seat of my pants for menu planning this week.' It has worked out okay so far ... thank goodness!

This recipe is one for which I always keep the necessary ingredients in the pantry. It's probably the most 'processed' meal/soup that I make, so consider yourself forewarned. However, it's one that every member of my family enjoys, and it can be prepared quickly. I can usually get two meals out of a batch; although that is becoming more of a stretch as the kids get older.

Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: I can prepare it in 30 minutes or slightly less

Ingredients:

8 oz. small shells, rings, or spaghettie broken into 1" pieces (I use whatever I have on hand that is similar in size - tonight I used medium shells)

10 3/4 oz. can Fiesta Cheese Soup

10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup

10 oz. can Enchilada sauce

14.5 oz. can chicken broth

2 cups milk

3/4 cup cubed processed cheese spread (Velveeta - I often use 1 cup)

5 oz. can chicken, drained*

2 tsp. dried parsley

2 cups tortilla nacho chips (or as many as needed - 2 cups is less than we use - chips are a treat at our home)

4 oz. finely shredded cheddar cheese (I use what's on hand)

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In large saucepan over low heat, mix soups, enchilada sauce, chicken brother, milk and processed cheese. I like to heat this thoroughly. When heated, add the diced or canned chicken, pasta and parsely. Simmer 5 minutes over medium heat until heated through.

To Serve:

Our family crunches the chips into the bottom of our bowls and spoons the soup over the top. We garnish with the shredded cheese.

*I often use frozen diced chicken, leftover from a roasted chicken, or frozen diced chicken breast that I've prepared ahead of time for recipes such as this. Another way to 'cheat' on the chicken is to use the Oven Roasted Chicken Bite's from Schwan's. Pop them in the micro to reheat and then dice the bite's into 1/2" cubes or smaller. Schwan's really is my ticket to fast food out here in the boonies.

The label as Mexican may be a stretch, but it has Fiesta Nacho cheese soup!

Chicken Fajita Casserole

I've been craving fajitas for quite a while. I was actually craving a beef fajita recipe that I used to make about once a month when I was first married. It was made in the crock pot and had great flavor - I'll have to post it sometime. I've been holding back on making it because I was pretty sure my kids weren't READY for it, yet. My hubby said I should just 'go for it.' However, the recipe is pretty spicy and I KNOW I would get a lot of grumbles.

Instead of using my old recipe, yesterday I finally acted upon my craving and made a Chicken Fajita Casserole. I used pre-cooked chicken to save time. The peppers are bright and colorful - just the sort of food we should eat when we are craving warmer weather and Spring-time. The kids ate it; it wasn't too spicy and did hit the spot for me.



Chicken Fajita Casserole
Yield: 10 servings


3 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or about 2.5 - 3 cups pre-cooked chicken breast, diced)
3 Tbls. olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced or diced
1 yellow pepper, sliced or diced
1 red pepper, sliced or diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
15 0z. can tomatoes with chili peppers
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, but Monterey Jack would be great, too)
1/2 package flour tortillas (I had the Flat-Out wraps on hand, so I used four of them, instead)


1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you aren't using pre-cooked chicken, prepare your chicken by cutting into strips and sauteeing in 1 Tbls. olive oil in a medium sized skillet. When completely cooked, set aside.




2 In a large skillet, saute the three pepper, onion, garlic and pepper in 2 Tbls. olive oil until tender. Set aside.

3. Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, tomatoes, and cream of chicken soup.




4. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Tear the tortillas into quarters and arrange half on the bottom of the pan. Layer half the chicken mixture, half the pepper mix, and half the cheese on top of the tortillas. Repeat the layers.




5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

6. OPTIONAL: You can serve the casserole with toppings, such as sour cream, shredded lettuce, black olives, hot sauce, extra cheese, etc. Use whatever your family enjoys.

In Honor of Saint Juan Diego...

Today is the feast day of Saint Juan Diego, humble servant of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It's not often I'm thinking ahead with feast days and corresponding them to the food we eat that day, but the Saint Gianna's Maternity Home newsletter came yesterday and featured a wonderful article about Saint Juan Diego. That started me thinking about today...

So, tonight we had a very modest meal, made very quickly in a dutch oven (supposed to be skillet, but sometimes you use what's convenient!). Here's the recipe and a few pictures to entice you to make the recipe sometime in the future.


Mexican Skillet with Corn Dumplings (Adapted from: 'Help, My Family's Hungry!')
Yield: 4 very large servings

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup chopped onion (I substituted 2 Tbl. minced onion)
1 can (16 oz.) chopped or diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 can (4 oz.) black olives
1 package (10 oz.) corn bread mix

In a large skillet (or in my case, a dutch oven!) with a lid, cook and brown ground beef until cooked. Drain grease. Stir in taco mix, onion, tomatoes, corn, chilies, and olives. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

Prepare the corn bread according to package directions. Drop the batter by spoonfuls on top of the meat mixture.

Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are done in the center. The meal is simple and tasty. I did save time by using already browned frozen ground beef. If you do this, however, make sure you heat the mixture fully before dropping the batter over the top.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe that was printed in November 2008. I altered and substituted for a few of the ingredients and amounts, but it turned out scrumptious. As you can see, I even have pictures to share (thanks to my husband who was finally able to get them downloaded to my computer - Argh! Technology gets the best of me, again.)! The leftovers are just as tasty the next day.


Chicken Tamale Casserole
Yield: 8 servings

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground red pepper
1 (14¾ oz.) can cream-style corn
1 (6.5 oz.) bag corn muffin mix
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
½ cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ¼ cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, cream-style corn, muffin mix, and green chiles in a large bowl. Stir until just moistened. Pour mixture into a 13x9 inch baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Pierce the surface with a fork and pour the enchilada sauce over the top. Top with shredded chicken and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top each with a tablespoon of sour cream before serving.

The preparation time is approximately 55 minutes. I saved time (about 15 minutes) during the evening by poaching and shredding the chicken earlier in the day. Poaching is a great way to keep the chicken moist, and chicken is really easy to shred when poached. It's also a time-saver to poach and dice extra chicken breasts. In fact, I had an extra cup that I diced and froze to use in another dish.

Nacho Potato Soup

At our All Saints Party this past Friday, I volunteered to bring potato soup. Never one to shy away from trying something new, I chose to bring a recipe I hadn't made before - Nacho Potato Soup. Those who tried the soup said it was delicious; that's the response I had hoped to receive. I made a triple batch, but only brought 2/3 to the party. The last 1/3, I double bagged and have frozen for later. Here's the recipe . . .


Nacho Potato Soup
Serves 6-8

1 package Au Gratin potatoes
1 - 11 oz. can corn, drained
1 - 14 oz. can chili recipe tomatoes
2 cups cubed Velveeta cheese
2 cups water
2 cups 2% milk
Tortilla chips, crushed

Combine Au Gratin potatoes, corn, tomatoes and water in a medium sized saucepan. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add milk and Velveeta; cook and stir until Velveeta is melted. Serve with crushed tortilla chips as a topping.

Mini-Cooking Session

**Sadly, my camera is having a fit. I didn't realize the pictures were all lined and grainy until the day was done and I was importing them into the post. So, no pictures of the days work for viewing. Technology is both wonderful and frustrating!

The day started quite early . . . I woke up at 5:30a and couldn't get back to sleep. Rather than lay there thinking about sleep, I got up and started the mini-cooking session. I had planned to make seven different entrees, but quickly realized that I wouldn't have the energy to complete those and chose to scale back to five. The five I chose to prepare were Breakfast McBiscuits x12, Chicken Enchiladas x1, Chicken Rice Soup x2, Italian Sausage Soup x2 and Taco Soup x2.

6a - You can't start a Saturday morning without a little bit of laundry, so that's where I began! One load folded, one transferred to the dryer and one started in the washer. Now, on to transferring the meat, biscuits & produce out of storage and into the kitchen.

7a - The majority of ingredients for Italian Sausage Soup are in the crock pot and cooking. The Italian sausage is browned and reserved with the Mexican tomatoes to be added later.

8a - Biscuits are baked, 1st batch of bacon ready (some McBiscuits are prepared and eaten for breakfast!), hamburger for Taco Soup browned and the chicken breasts are in the process of being poached. I took a few minutes to wash dishes that I will need later.

8:30a - Taco Soup is simmering on the stove, the rice cooker is started, and the 2nd batch of bacon is in the oven.

9a - Taco Soup is cooling, Chicken Rice Soup is simmering, and the chicken is poached and diced.

9:30a - Preparation for the enchilada sauce is underway; and the enchiladas are rolled and arranged in a 13x9 pan. Bacon is done & placed on paper towels to cool.

10a - Chicken Enchiladas in the fridge to cool. Bacon stored in frig for later.

10:45a - Italian Sausage Soup ingredients are mixed together and left to cool on the stovetop. Washed up the dishes by hand or in the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen.

11:45a - Re-heated one pot of Italian Sausage Soup for Dinner! Everyone cleaned their bowls so they could have a Peanut Butter Cup Pie treat.

1p - Everything cleaned and put away, soups (save for the Italian Sausage Soup - which still needs to cool) are double bagged & put in the freezer. Time for a break - Chai Tea and check laundry.

2:30p - Italian Sausage Soup double bagged and into the freezer. I'm now ready to fry eggs and assemble Breakfast McBiscuits.

3:30p - The Mini-Cooking Session is done! The kitchen is back to it's normal state & ready for my oldest ds to prepare his Redwall Feast (He's already got a good start on it. Somewhere during all the above activities, he found time to prepare the October Ale and bake both the Hare's Haversack Crumble and Loamhedge Legacy Nutbread. He takes after me - make sure the sweets are prepared first!)