Santa Fe Soup (Taco Soup)
Jan 08, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My Santa Fe soup recipe is a favorite when I’m in need of a quick, hearty, satisfying meal. This flavorful one pot meal is full of Tex-Mex inspired flavors and can be made on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
My family loves a good bowl of soup, especially on chilly nights here in Utah. This Santa Fe soup recipe has been on repeat the last few weeks fast, easy, and everyone loves the taste. It’s similar to taco soup, filled with ground beef, beans, corn, all in a beef broth.
My youngest daughter is obsessed with black beans so the first time I made this for her I had a good feeling that she would like it, and boy was I right! She immediately asked for a big bowl and a side of tortilla chips.
Now when I make this Sante Fe soup, I like to have a variety of toppings for everyone to add to their soup to make it their own. It really is so simple to make and is great for leftovers.
If you want some more cozy soup ideas be sure to try this creamy parmesan Italian sausage soup.
Why you’ll love this soup recipe
- Made easy with pantry staples. This recipe calls for cans of beans and corn making it simple to put together.
- Minimal clean up. You have to love a one pot meal for easy cleaning.
- Great for a crowd. This recipe can feed
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I like using a lean ground beef for this recipe. You can also substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Beans – Black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans are used to add delicious, hearty texture and flavor.
- Corn – You can use canned corn or substitute with frozen corn.
- Rotel tomatoes – I like using Rotel because it contains green chiles. You can substitute with a can of petite diced tomatoes.
- Taco seasoning – Use a pack of seasonings or your favorite homemade blend.
- Ranch seasoning – Use a pack of ranch seasoning mix or a homemade blend.
- Salt and pepper – Adds a little extra seasoning to the beef.
- Onion – You will need about 1/2 of a large onion.
- Garlic – 2-3 cloves of minced garlic.
- Beef broth – Adds a rich soup base.
How to make Santa Fe soup
This version of taco soup is really simple to make. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the ground beef in a large pot. Brown over medium heat. Once cooked, remove any excess grease.
- Add in the diced onion, salt, and pepper, and cook 3-4 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Pour in the beef broth, Rotel, ranch seasonings, and taco seasonings.
- Add in the drained beans and corn. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve the soup warm.
Heather’s recipe tips
- Dice the onion small. Make sure to dice the onion into small pieces.
- Drain the cans. Drain and rinse the beans and corn before adding to the soup.
- Adjust the heat. You can make this soup more spicy by adding a splash of hot sauce or diced jalapenos.
- Simmer for flavor. Simmering the soup for 20-30 minutes gives the soup a chance to develop the flavors.
Variations
- Slow cooker Santa Fe Soup: If you would like to make this in the crockpot, brown the beef and onions in a skillet and then place in a slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
- Chicken Santa Fe Soup: Substitute the ground beef with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Meatless Santa Fe Soup: Leave out the ground beef. You can make the rest of the recipe as written or add in some vegetables like diced peppers and mushrooms.
- Creamy Santa Fe Soup: Add 4 ounces of cream cheese for a creamy soup base.
Santa Fe soup toppings
I like serving this soup with corn bread, tortilla chips, or corn chips. A toppings that work well include sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapenos, green onion, or avocado.
Storage
Store: Store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Freeze: Make sure to let the Sante Fe soup completely cool. Put in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Common questions
You can all of the same beans or your favorite beans in this recipe.
Yes, omit the ground beef and substitute the beef broth with vegetable broth. You can also use a plant based protein in place of the beef.
More ground beef dinner ideas
Sante Fe Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloved garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1 10 ounce can Rotel
- 1 16 ounce can pinto beans, drained
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained
- 1 can corn kernels, drained
- 1 1 ounce pack taco seasoning
- 1 1 ounce pack ranch seasoning
- 2 cups beef broth
Instructions
- Place ground beef in a large pot or dutch oven. Brown the beef over medium heat. Once the beef has browned, drain off any excess grease and add diced onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook 30 seconds -1 minute.
- Add the taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, beef broth, Rotel, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, and corn. Stir to combine.
- Cover the pot and cook on medium-low for 30 minutes.
Notes
- Dice the onion small. Make sure to dice the onion into small pieces.
- Drain the cans. Drain and rinse the beans and corn before adding to the soup.
- Adjust the heat. You can make this soup more spicy by adding a splash of hot sauce or diced jalapenos.
- Simmer for flavor. Simmering the soup for 20-30 minutes gives the soup a chance to develop the flavors.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
