Pantry Recipe: Taco Soup

This recipe is unbelievably easy, delicious, and just perfect for a food storage dinner.
Ingredients: onion powder, canned tomatoes, canned chicken Great Northern Beans, black beans, kidney beans, corn, taco seasoning (not pictured) and salsa.

Like we've been saying all month, beans are extremely versatile. Whenever I make this bean soup, I just grab whatever beans I have on hand. Today I used black beans (I always use these), Great Northern Beans, and kidney beans. I also like to use pinto beans or chili beans (probably in place of the kidney beans).

So, here we go:
Grab a pot.
Pour in your canned tomatoes.....

And corn....
And beans... (some beans need to be drained, others do not. Just look at the label. I did not drain the black beans, but I drained both the pinto beans and kidney beans because I wanted a thicker soup, and the salsa & tomatoes add enough water for me).

And chicken.

Next, add the salsa. The salsa makes this soup a bit spicy and gives it a little kick. If you'd rather not have spicy soup, just add another can of tomatoes.

Add the onion powder and taco seasoning. Now, throw it on the stove and let it all simmer together for about 30 minutes. You could also throw it all in the crock pot and let it simmer all day - YUM! The thing I like most about this meal is that it can feed a huge crowd without much extra effort at all - just open a few more cans! If you like a thinner soup, add some chicken or vegetable broth (or water and boullion cubes). This recipe can also easily be vegetarian if you leave out the chicken.

When were are eating this meal on a regular night, I use frozen chicken breasts, and I serve it with shredded cheese and sour cream. Even if we didn't have those extras (i.e., we were truly living off our food storage), it still tastes delicious. Don't forget the chips!

Bean Soup

1 can black beans
1 can Great Northern beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can tomatoes
1 can corn 3/4 cup salsa

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients into a pot and simmer for 30 minutes. (Or, combine it all into a crockpot and simmer).

Note: this recipe can also be made with dry beans. Simply cover all your beans with a few inches of water and soak for a few hours, or overnight. Then rinse the beans and use normally!