7 Can Taco Soup with Ranch Dressing Mix

Who knew adding a little bit of pizzazz to 7 cans of veggies could make such a yummy dinner?

Today, I decided to bring back one of the recipes that started it all – 7 Can Taco Soup with Ranch Dressing Mix from the Original Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp. It's a classic soup recipe that is so easy to drop in the Instant Pot for a last-minute dinner. The whole family loves this one too – even picky kids! Get the taste of a taco in a warm, comforting soup.

Don't think you're getting a spicy soup out of this recipe. It has a lot of flavor but doesn't carry a lot of heat. The key to this recipe is the ranch seasoning mix. It adds the perfect little twang to it and ties everything together so well.

Step by Step Instructions

The is a recipe I love making in the Instant Pot. Saute and pressure cook all in one place! (Note: if you're not an Instant Potter, I have alternate instructions below.)

You're not going to believe how easy this one is!

Step 1: Brown ground beef and cook onion.

Set Instant Pot to sauté mode. Once hot, add a little bit of oil and add onions. Stir for 1-2 minutes, until slightly translucent.

Add ground beef. Break up and cook through, about 5 minutes. Drain excess grease.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Then, you basically just dump and go! To your Instant Pot, add your 7 cans and seasonings…

• 1 pack taco seasoning (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 pack Ranch dressing mix (about 2 tablespoons)
• 15.5 oz canned pinto beans
• 15.5 oz canned kidney beans
• 15 oz canned whole kernel corn (not drained)
• 10 oz canned Rotel tomatoes & green chiles
• 4 oz canned diced green chiles
• 2 oz can black olives sliced (optional)
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water

Step 3: Pressure cook.

Set the Instant Pot to manual, high pressure, 15 minutes. Once the cook cycle is over, start the pressure release by turning the valve on the lid.

Step 4: Serve

Once pressure is released from cooker, stir soup well. Serve topped with cornbread, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or diced red onion.

Alternate Cooking Instructions

No Instant Pot? No problem! Make this soup in the following alternate ways:

• Crock Pot/Slow Cooker: Brown meat and saute onions on the stovetop; drain. Add remaining soup ingredients to a Crock Pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• Stove Top: Brown meat and saute onions in a large soup pot and drain. Once browned, add remaining soup ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Toppings

The fun part of this recipe is the toppings! I listed my favorites in the recipe card below, but the possibilities are endless. If you can put it on a regular taco, you can put it on taco soup.

A few ideas…

• cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• cornbread
• tortilla chips
• cilantro
• avocado
• diced tomato
• diced red onion
• ranch sauce
• pico de gallo
• diced bell peppers
• lime juice

Freezer Meal Option

Instant Pot taco soup makes a phenomenal freezer meal. It's easy to bag up, too!

To you freezer container, simply add…

• 1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 pack taco seasoning
• 1 pack Ranch dressing mix
• 15.5 oz canned pinto beans
• 15.5 oz canned kidney beans
• 15 oz canned whole kernel corn
• 10 oz canned Rotel tomatoes & green chiles
• 4 oz canned diced green chiles
• 2 oz can black olives sliced (optional)
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes

(I like to freeze my Instant Pot meals in a container like this – that way, you don't have to thaw them to add to the Instant Pot for cooking.)

Once you're ready to cook our freezer meal, add 1 cup of water and meal to the Instant Pot. Cook as directed. (Note: it might take a little bit longer to come to pressure if meal is frozen, that's normal.)

You can also cook the soup and freeze for later. I like freezing in 1-cup increments in something like Souper Cubes. Then, when we're ready to eat, we can thaw just what we need.

Variations

Another fun part of this recipe is mixing it up! Some great variations include…

• Make it a creamy taco soup by adding 1 cup of heavy cream at the end of cooking.
• Change up that protein! Sub shredded chicken or shredded turkey for the ground beef.
• Give it more of a fajita feel by replacing taco seasoning with a pack of fajita seasoning and adding strips for colorful bell peppers.
• Make it a vegetarian taco soup by omitting beef.
• Reduce the fat content by musing ground chicken or ground turkey.
• Use black beans, chickpeas, or chili beans in place of the pinto/kidney beans in the recipe.
• Make it on the stove top by browning meat and onion in a large soup pot, adding remaining ingredients, and simmering for 30-40 minutes.
• Add extra spices, like cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, or garlic powder.

Leftover Storage

The recipe makes a ton of food – unless you're feeding a basketball team, you're going to have leftovers. Simply refrigerate for 3-4 days after cooking, making sure your container is airtight. There are lots of smells and flavors in this soup that can seep into other foods! I'd also recommend a glass container if you have it – this soup will stain any plastic. You can always just store in your Instant Pot liner and seal it with a lid like this.

When ready to reheat, pop the whole recipe back in the Instant Pot on the high slow cooker setting for around 30 minutes, or simply microwave servings.

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