Quick and Easy Taco Soup Recipe

This Quick and Easy Taco Soup is a delicious vegetarian meal that’s full of flavor and veggies, naturally. Serve it with some tortilla strips and enjoy.

Regardless of the time of year, you might be craving comfort food but wish to avoid dishes that are high in calories. For times such as this, I turn to an old classic Weight Watchers recipe, Taco Soup.   However, I put a little twist on my version.

I won’t deny that the original is delicious.  It really is.  I just like a little more heat to it and to make it kinder.  (Read “meatless.”)

Instead of ground turkey, I use Beefy Crumble by Beyond Beef.  It’s entirely plant-based and has the look and texture of ground beef.  Except it’s not.  There are 660 calories in the entire package.

How To Make Vegetarian Taco Soup

Start by sauteing a chopped onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once the onion starts to become translucent, add the following:

• 1 package of Beefy Crumbles
• 1 packet of McCormick HOT Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 packet of Spice Hunter Ranch Organic Dip Mix
• 1 15 ounce can 365 Organic Ranchero Beans
• 1 15 ounce can Simply Nature Organic Black Beans
• 1 14.5 ounce can Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1 10 ounce can Ro*Tel HOT Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros
• 2 cups of water

Bring the soup to a boil and then lower it to simmer for 30 minutes.  Voilà!  A simple and delicious soup that’s full of veggies.

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I decided to analyze the calorie content of the ENTIRE pot.  Keep in mind that if you make this that the calorie count could vary should you use different brands, which is totally okay.  But at least this will give you an idea of how many calories are in it.  Also,  what I consider a serving and what you consider a serving might be completely different.

The total? 2084.  That sounds like a lot – and it is if you eat the entire pot!  But if you think about it, it easily serves four people and probably should serve 6 to 8.

If four people were to evenly divide it, and excluding any toppings, then they each would eat around 521 calories.  (One Big Mac has 563 calories, and that is without fries!)

If you get six servings out of the pot, then each serving is approximately 347 calories.  Eight servings = roughly 261 per serving.  Unfortunately, toppings add to those totals.  But hey!  A few tortilla strips and jalapenos don’t add up to much.

By using the Beefy Crumbles and not ground beef, 846 calories are spared (for the entire pot), not to mention over 100 grams of fat.  That’s at least 200 calories saved per serving.

It’s a simple meal that you can enjoy any time of the year.

What’s your favorite meatless meal?

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 Here are some more delicious meat-free recipes:

• Popcorn Tofu – This is a vegan take on the popular Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets.
• Brazilian Portabellas – Large mushrooms cooked in a savory sauce – serve over rice.
• Pineapple Habanero Jelly – Sweet + heat = one extraordinary jelly.

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