Ole! Taco Soup

After Wednesday night's crockpot disaster I needed to get back on the horse. Luckily I had all the ingredients for this yummy taco soup ready to go. I found this recipe on Emily's blog and I starred it right away. It seemed perfect for fall, plus Joe and I love tacos so putting the flavors in a soup seemed like a great twist. This can be made on the stove as well, but I opted for the crockpot so it could simmer all day while we worked. We played racquetball after work (um, if anyone has any tips to teach me how to be even a little bit good, I'd appreciate it!) and came home to this delicious spicy soup. I made a few changes to Emily's recipe - I added about a cup of beef broth to ensure that it stayed "soupy" all day in the crockpot, reduced the amount of ingredients, etc. and it came out great! It was like tacos in a bowl! I served these with cheese quesadillas for dipping - yum! AND I remembered to take the plastic of the beef this time - score one for me!

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onions
1 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles
1(4 1/2-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Garnish of choice for serving - cheese, sour cream, corn chips, etc.

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker. Add the beans, tomatoes, green chiles, olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.