Every spoonful of this Turkey Taco Soup is brimming with flavor thanks to the ground turkey, beans, corn, and a perfectly seasoned broth. It’s a hearty and filling 30-minute soup that can easily be made on the stove or in a slow cooker for quick weeknight dinners or lazy weekends.
If you like the flavors in this soup, you should try my healthy turkey chili recipe, healthy white chicken chili and healthy chicken tortilla soup. They’re all so good and beautifully laced with traditional Mexican flavors!
Table of contents
- Healthy Turkey Taco Soup
- Why This Ground Turkey Soup Recipe Works?
- Ingredients for Taco Soup with Ground Turkey
- How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Soup
- Optional Add In’s and Variations
- Tips for Best Results
- FAQs
- Serving Recommendations for Turkey Taco Soup
- Making Ground Turkey Soup in Advance
- More Mexican Soup Recipes
Healthy Turkey Taco Soup
The best thing about this ground turkey taco soup (besides it being ridiculously tasty) is that it combines my two favorite things, turkey tacos and belly-warming soup!
It’s a healthy, hearty, and satisfying way of turning everyone’s favorite tacos into a delicious bowl of turkey chili taco soup!
Why This Ground Turkey Soup Recipe Works?
- It has all of the delicious flavors of a taco in the form of a hot bowl of soup!
- Customizable from the meat, the veggies, and the seasonings!
- High in fiber and protein, making it a hearty, comforting soup to have for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow!
- Makes great leftovers and is freezer-friendly.
- It’s a 30-minute one-pot meal, which makes for the easiest clean-up!
- A family meal that everyone will love whether it’s for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients for Taco Soup with Ground Turkey
To make turkey taco soup, just look inside your pantry and freezer. I bet all the ingredients are already there 🙂
- Meat: I always keep a package of ground turkey in the freezer to use for a quick weeknight dinner and to use for one of these ground turkey recipes. You can also use ground chicken or ground beef. Keep in mind ground poultry will be a healthier choice among your protein options.
- Veggies and beans: Corn and beans. For taco soup, I like to use red kidney beans. You can also use Romano, white, navy, black or even pinto beans. You can also use a combination. Make sure to drain and rinse canned beans, or use homemade cooked dried beans or Instant Pot red kidney beans.
- Seasoning: Homemade taco seasoning, onion powder, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. You can use fresh onion, but I like to have taco soup on the dinner table quickly.
- Liquid: Water or low sodium broth and canned tomato sauce. Aim for low sodium tomato sauce and avoid added sugars as well.
- Oil: A good quality oil for browning your meat. Lean turkey doesn’t produce much of its own fat so the oil is important for avoiding sticking to the bottom of the pan.
That’s it!
Dried beans tip: I cook and freeze organic dried beans in batches. I highly recommend you learn how to cook dried beans. You will save a lot of money vs. buying organic BPA-free canned beans. I now make pressure cooker black beans!
How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Soup
There is a full recipe card below.
Stovetop Taco Soup
- Brown ground turkey: In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom large pot for 5 – 7 minutes or until no longer pink.
- Add the taco seasoning and cook for 1 more minute. The heat brings out the flavors of the spices, so give it time to do its thing.
- Add everything else: Tomato sauce, beans, corn, onion powder, maple syrup, salt, pepper, water.
- Simmer for 20-60 minutes. A longer simmer time will deepen the flavors, but overall the soup is ready in no time.
As you can imagine the longer it sits, the better it gets, so don’t forget to save some leftovers for the next day!
Serve hot with fresh cilantro, sour cream or yogurt, creamy diced avocado, lime, green onion, cheese, and tortilla chips!
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Follow the same instructions as the stovetop method and cook on Low for 7 – 8 hours or on High for 3 – 4 hours.
Optional Add In’s and Variations
- If you don’t have any tomato sauce on hand, use canned diced tomatoes or Rotel with tomato paste instead. For a some extra taste, throw in some fire-roasted tomatoes!
- For a vegetarian taco soup recipe, swap the meat for 1 cup of rice or other grain like quinoa, barley, or brown rice.
- You can completely omit the meat and up the vegetables and beans. Veggie options could include carrots, celery, kale, zucchini etc. – cooking time may need to be adjusted when adding vegetables.
- Use ground chicken instead of ground turkey for an equally flavorful soup.
- If you like a little heat, add a dash of hot sauce or some sliced or diced jalapeno to finish it off.
- For a smoky flavour add some smoked paprika or a couple of drops of liquid smoke.
- Add additional Tex Mex spices for added seasoning. Things like cumin, paprika, and chili powder would taste great and make it a turkey chili taco soup.
Tips for Best Results
- If you are using ingredients that are not labeled as low sodium, you may need to add less salt to the recipe.
- This soup is best served hot.
- As it cooks get your toppings ready and have everything prepared and ready to go at the same time! Slice your limes, grate your cheese, crush tortilla chips if you’re not keeping them whole, and slice or dice your avocado and onion!
- As great as this soup is for families throughout the week, it’s also great for serving a crowd!
The longer your soup simmers, the more intense the flavors! Slow cooker taco soup will really enhances flavor profile as well.
FAQs
You can substitute the tomato sauce for canned tomatoes. If you want it as thick as a sauce you’ll want to add tomato paste along with it. If you’re ok with a thinner soupier consistency, you can just use the canned tomatoes and their juices.
Toss them in along with the rest of the ingredients and simmer away. If you’re worried about undercooking thicker, heartier veggies, you can start cooking them when you are browning the turkey meat.
Yum! To make this a vegetarian taco soup, you can either completely omit the meat, which would still taste great, or replace it with an increase in beans and veggies, or add in some grain such as quinoa, brown rice, or barley.
My favorite way is to add diced jalapenos or green chilis right into the soup. You can also drizzle a bit of hot sauce on top as a garnish, toss in some red pepper flakes, or leave the sliced jalapenos for a topping!
Of course! I have Instant Pot taco soup for you. It’s another dump and set, 30-minute one-pot meal that gets a ton of flavor from the pressure cooking process.
Serving Recommendations for Turkey Taco Soup
For turkey taco soup toppings, use what you have on hand. Here are the toppings we like:
- Shredded cheese: Tex Mex, colby jack, cheddar, etc.
- Fresh herbs: Green onion, chopped red onion, and cilantro pack a punch.
- For a creamy and citrus combo: Diced avocado and lime to squeeze over the soup are so good.
- Crushed tortilla chips or leave them whole for scooping up all that good soup!
- A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream will give the entire meal a cool creamy balance.
- Canned diced green chiles, or jalapenos for heat!
Potluck style: Turkey taco soup is amazing party food. Bring slow cooker taco soup to the potluck in your crockpot or Instant Pot and keep on warm. Super easy entertaining! You can make a taco soup bar with all the toppings, pour yourself a glass of wine, and watch everyone enjoy serving themselves.
Tex Mex themed dinner: Serve with chicken tacos in Instant Pot and Mexican kale salad if you have extra hungry growing boys like I do!
On a hot summer day, enjoy all these flavors in healthy taco salad.
Making Ground Turkey Soup in Advance
Store: Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Turkey taco soup freezes well. Fully cook, cool completely, and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Reheat the desired amount of soup in a small pot by simmering on low heat. Cover and stir occasionally until warmed through.
Make-ahead for freezer: In a large Ziploc bag, add cooked ground turkey (let it cool first) along with the other ingredients (except water, cilantro, and garnishes). Let as much of the air out as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, add to the pot or slow cooker along with water, and cook as per further instructions + 1 hour. This dinner is one of my healthy freezer meals.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
More Mexican Soup Recipes
I hope you like this taco soup. It is one of the most requested soups at my house!
Ground Turkey Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 3 x 15 oz cans tomato sauce low sodium
- 2 x 15 oz cans low sodium red kidney or romano beans drained & rinsed
- 3 cups corn frozen or canned (drained)
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 tbsp onion powder or flakes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups water or low sodium broth
- Oil for frying
- Cilantro, sour cream/yogurt, lime, avocado, green onion, tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
Stovetop Method:
- Preheat large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot on medium – high heat, swirl a bit of oil to coat, and add turkey. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking into pieces.
- Add taco seasoning and cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently.
- Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, onion powder, maple syrup, salt, pepper, water; and stir.
- Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-60 minutes (longer – deeper flavours but overall soup is ready fast).
Slow Cooker Method:
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium – high heat, swirl a bit of oil to coat, and add turkey. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking into pieces. Add taco seasoning and cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently.
- Transfer to a large slow cooker along with tomato sauce, beans, corn, onion powder, maple syrup, salt, pepper, water; and stir. Cover and cook on Low for 7 – 8 hours or on High for 3 – 4 hours.
- Serving: Serve hot with cilantro, sour cream/yogurt, lime, avocado, green onion and tortilla chips.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- Make Ahead (Slow Cooker) for Freezer: In a large Ziploc bag, add cooked ground turkey (let it cool first) along with all ingredients (except water, cilantro and garnishes). Let as much air out as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, add to slow cooker along with water, and cook as per further instructions + 1 hour.
- You might need to use less salt if using regular (not low sodium) tomato sauce.
This was so tasty! I added some diced bell peppers to have more veg. As a result, I needed to add a bit more spices but other than that just followed the recipe. I served it with avocado, cilantro, yogurt and cheese – it was seriously one of the best dinners I’ve ever made. Thank you for this super easy recipe! <3
Those additions sound fantastic! I would have a bowl of that right now in a heartbeet!:)