Taco Soup
Homemade Tortilla Chips or Strips
Or Corn Bread
If you make this soup once a month for your family a year’s supply of ingredients would be:
- 12 pints (1lb) canned ground beef or 12 1lb pkgs. ground beef in the freezer
- 12 pkgs. Mild taco seasoning
- 12 pkgs. Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
- 12 15oz cans Kidney Beans, or you can cook your own; 12 X ½ cup dried beans
- 12 15oz cans Black Beans, or you can cook your own; 12 X ½ cup dried beans
- 12 – 28oz cans Ro Tel Mexican Style Tomatoes, diced.
- 12 – cans whole kernel corn
- 12 – 3oz cans mild chiles
- Fresh or dehydrated onion
- Sour Cream, fresh or powdered
- Cheese (Waxed from your family store)
*If you want this recipe to be less spicey you can use regular tomatoes instead of Ro Tel or you can omit the extra can of chiles.
*If you need help with cheese waxing please refer to the cheese waxing section on this website.
Taco Soup Recipe:
1 lb ground beef, browned
1 small onion chopped and sautéed or 1 - 2 tbsp dehydrated onion
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, or cook your own 1/2 Cup dried beans will make 1 1/2 Cups cooked.
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed, or cook your own.
1 can Mexican style diced tomatoes with juice
1 can whole kernel corn drained * In an emergency situation when water is scarce do not drain the corn. Reduce water in recipe by ½ cup.
1 can chilies
11/2 – 2 Cups Water
1pkg taco seasoning
1pkg ranch seasoning
If using fresh or frozen ground beef brown and drain your beef. Add onions and cook till tender. Add the rest of the ingredients. If using dehydrated onions add them in with the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise, combine all of the above ingredients into a soup pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 30 min–1 hour. If using a crock pot combine all of the ingredients and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
This soup is traditionally served by placing corn chips or Fritos in the bottom of the bowl, ladling soup over the chips and topping the soup with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Your children may be freaked out by the soup over the chips, if so serve them on the side. It is also fun to serve this soup with tortilla strips!
This is a very simple recipe and really yummy. It is easy to throw together when you are frazzled.
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Ingredients for homemade corn chips or strips from scratch for twelve meals: Ingredients are approx. You may want more or less chips. Recipe will make approximately 16 taco size tortillas, or 128 tortilla chips per meal.
· 24 Cups MASECA Instant Corn Masa Flour
· 15 Cups Water
· 3 tsp Salt
· 2 ½ Gallons Oil for frying
· 3 Cups Olive Oil if oven baking
· Spices for variety if desired, i.e. garlic, chili powder, cracked pepper
· Cooking Thermometer
Corn Tortilla Chips
Although it is much easier to purchase corn tortillas to make your chips, it is great to make your own tortillas from scratch. They are easy to make and taste better. If you choose to make your own you need to allow them to cool before you use them to make corn chips. You can make tortillas once or twice a month and freeze what you don’t use. If there is no electricity you can still whip up a batch of fresh tortillas. For details on making fresh Corn Tortillas visit the flat bread section on this site.
16 Corn tortillas
Seasonings
Oil for frying or baking
Place tortillas in stacks of four or eight. With a very sharp knife or pizza wheel cut the tortillas into wedges. I prefer eight wedges. If you want bigger chips cut the tortillas into four wedges. If you want strips, cut the tortillas in long narrow strips, approximately 1/3-1/2 inch wide. They don't have to be perfect!
For fried chips:
In a heavy dutch oven heat oil to 350 degrees. Cook the tortilla pieces a handful at a time in the hot oil. Drain on a paper towel and season. Serve warm or cool completely and store air tight to retain crispness.
For baked chips:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cut tortilla wedges in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with your oil of choice. Add seasonings if desired and toss the tortilla pieces to distribute the oil and seasonings. Spread the tortilla pieces across a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately ten minutes. You may flip them if desired. Watch them so they don’t burn! Serve warm. J
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Ingredients for Corn Bread for twelve meals:
· 24 Cups of flour; If you are ginding your own flour from wheat you will need 16 Cups wheat berries
· 24 Cups Corn meal; If you are grinding your own corn meal, which I recommend, you will need 16 Cups of Popping Corn or approximately 8 lbs. of popping corn.
· 6 Cups Sugar or Brown sugar or Honey
· 48 tsp Baking Powder
· 6 tsp Baking Soda
· 12 tsp Salt
· 72 Whole Eggs, or 72 Tbsp (4 ½ cups) Dried Whole Egg Powder
· 36 Cups Buttermilk, or 6 3/4 cup Buttermilk Powder
· 71/2 Cups Butter or Cooking Oil, or 6 cups Butter powder
Corn Bread
Bake at 400 degrees
makes 9x13 pan If a smaller portion is desired, split the recipe in half and bake in a square 8 inch pan, or a round 8-10 inch caste iron skillet. You may also spoon the batter into greased muffin tins for Corn Muffins.
Pssst. Grind your popping corn into fresh meal. . .
2 Cups All purpose flour, Wheat flour, or half and half
2 Cups Corn Meal (I grind my meal a little finer than what is standard. It makes a better textured bread.)
1/2 Cup Sugar, Brown Sugar, or Honey * If you use honey decrease the buttermilk by 2 Tablespoons.
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
Six Beaten Eggs * If you want a more crumbly bread, decrease the eggs to 4.
Scant 3 Cups Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Cooking Oil or Melted Butter
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil or Butter for greasing the pan.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees now.
Gather all of your ingredients and tools so that you are not running back and forth to the pantry and the fridge.
If you are using butter in your cooking dish (my preferred method) you will want to preheat your pan without the butter for
about 5 minutes.
If you are using oil instead, do not preheat your baking dish. Oil your dish and sprinkle it with corn meal. This will help your corn bread release more easily from the pan.
Mix the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl leaving a well in the center. Set aside. In a seperate bowl combine six beaten eggs, scant 3 cups buttermilk and melted butter or oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry all at once and fold in until thoroughly combined.
Hint: Beating the batter will make the bread tough. Corn Bread is a quick bread and wants to be handled gently, so be nice!
Place two tablespoons of butter into your baking dish which should be hot! The butter will melt very quickly and begin to sizzle. Don't hesitate or your butter will burn. Quickly pour the prepared batter into the hot pan, spread the batter evenly if needed.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool slightly in the pan. Serve warm with butter and honey or jam.