A Twist on Taco Tuesday: Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Taco night is one of my kids' favorite nights for dinner. But sometimes I just don't have the time to put together all of the ingredients for tacos and don't want the mess in the kitchen. So we took a spin on the classic taco night and turned it into slow cooker taco soup. 

This slow cooker taco soup is a delicious meal that is very versatile and easy to make.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (uncooked)
• 1 can of your favorite beans (pinto, black, kidney, northern), rinsed and drained
• 1 can of corn, undrained (or substitute 14-16 oz. frozen corn)
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2-3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1-2 Tbsp. diced onion (white, yellow, or red)

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Remove chicken breasts and shred, then return chicken to slow cooker.
4. Add water if there isn't enough broth for your liking.
5. If you like your soup spicier, you can add extra taco seasoning. (Tip: This soup gets spicier if it sits overnight in the fridge and you eat it the next day!)

Optional Variations:

If you want to "kick it up a notch" or be creative, try one of these variations:

• Serve soup over rice
• Top with one (or more) of the following: crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole, fresh cilantro
• Add an extra spicy kick to the soup by adding a small can of diced green chiles or a diced jalapeño before cooking
• Don't want to use chicken breasts? You can make this soup vegetarian by adding more beans or different kinds of vegetables (add near the end of cooking time so they don't get mushy!). You can also substitute chicken breasts with ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef. (If using ground meat, cook the meat before adding it to the slow cooker, and reduce cooking time to 2-3 hours.)  

Sarah Boucher is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Grand Haven, Spring Lake, and Muskegon, Mich.

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