You can’t beat a bowl of Turkey Taco Soup on a chilly fall or winter day. It’s nourishing and oh-so-comforting, especially when topped with all the fixings (like grated cheese and sour cream).
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It’s healthy. It’s hearty. It’s fast. And it’s the #1 most requested recipe for our weeknight dinner lineup. Turkey Taco Soup, you are the answer to this One-Ticket-to-Hot-Mess-City Mama’s prayers (well, you, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc).
My mom made this recipe for my siblings and me for 15+ years, and it was one of the first creations I tackled all by my lonesome when I was in college and craving a home-cooked meal. Now, I make it on the weekly for my husband and super-hungry kiddos.
This soup is a mashup between traditional chili and a Mexican mainstay that’s loaded with lean ground turkey, tomatoes, peppers and beans. It’s a food you can feel free to indulge in, whether during hectic weeknights (it’s a “dump everything in one pot and forget about it” miracle) or casual weekends.
That is, if you opt out of my family’s favorite way to serve it: ladled over a bowl of tortilla chips and topped off with the works. The heat of the stew softens the tortilla chips, turning them into a welcome complement found at the bottom of your bowl.
Because taco-soaked tortilla chips + cheddar cheese = the ultimate dinner winner!
Love taco mashups? Try my Rotisserie Chicken Taco Dip and Cheesy Chicken Taco Pizza.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can make it ahead. Chili almost always tastes better the next day, when the flavors have time to meld. This taco soup is similar, so it can absolutely be made the night before.
- It’s freezer-friendly. This soup lasts in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- It’s good for a crowd. This recipe serves 6. I recommend setting out a toppings bar so everyone can customize their own bowls.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is what you’ll cook the veggies in. You can use another oil if you prefer, like canola, vegetable or avocado.
- Onion and green bell pepper: Diced vegetables add flavor to the soup—as well as nutrient-packed goodness.
- Ground turkey: Ground turkey is lean and delicious. However, you could swap in ground chicken or beef if you prefer.
- Diced tomatoes with chiles: This is a flavorful shortcut, allowing you to skip having to mince chiles yourself! If you can’t find this, you could substitute fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Pinto beans in chili sauce: These are canned beans, but way better! Pinto beans are creamy and perfect in this soup. If you can’t find pinto beans in chili sauce, you can use regular canned pinto beans and add a bit of chili powder.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste is absolutely packed with tomato flavor—and a whole can of it is going to do wonders for the soup.
- Taco seasoning: Taco seasoning usually has garlic and onion powder, salt, oregano, paprika and chili powder. Your favorite taco seasoning (any kind, really!) will work great here.
- Tomato soup and water: Using tomato soup and just a bit of water amps up the flavor of this chili without you having to do more work. You’ll want to use undiluted tomato soup.
- Toppings: Tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, cubed avocado, sliced scallions—you can use whatever toppings you like.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Use a different kind of meat. Instead of ground turkey, you could use ground chicken or beef (or even a vegetarian substitute).
- Add in more veggies. If you’re looking to amp up the veggies in this taco stew, you could add in a cup or two of frozen corn.
- Sauté the vegetables. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook until the onions are translucent (3 minutes).
- Add the ground turkey. Add the turkey to the pot, breaking it apart with a spatula or spoon until it’s cooked through.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the remainder of the ingredients (besides the toppings) to the pot and heat until cooked through.
- Serve and add the toppings. If you’re using tortilla chips, crumble a handful and add to the bottom of each bowl, then ladle the taco soup into the bowl and add your toppings at will.
Pro Tip: You can use any large, heavy-bottomed pot for this recipe, including a stockpot or Dutch oven. Just avoid anything made from uncoated cast iron, since the acid in the soup will eat away at this type of pot’s seasoning.
- Removing the Seeds From Bell Peppers: It can feel a little tricky to remove the seeds from bell peppers! To do so easily, slice off the top of the bell pepper about a 1/2-inch down the pepper, then pull the core of seeds out of the pepper. Then, you can slice the bell pepper in half and brush away any remaining seeds.
- Make Your Own Taco Seasoning: Taco seasoning comes in ready-to-use packets. You can make your own spice blend though using garlic and onion powder, salt, oregano, paprika and chili powder.
- Set Out a Taco Soup Bar: For a fun, customizable dinner, put the soup on the dinner table, with bowls of toppings scattered around it. Then (adult!) guests can add their toppings—as little or as much as they want of each.
The leftover soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Just allow the soup to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it.
The toppings are really the limit with this soup! It’s great served with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese, crumbled feta or queso fresco, lime wedges, sour cream, black olives, chopped cilantro, cided avocado, black olives or shredded romaine. A side of Simple Skillet Cornbread would also be welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Taco soup is great served with crushed tortilla chips and toppings like shredded or crumbled cheese, sliced scallions, sour cream or lime wedges.
Taco soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months. You should always do the smell test: If it smells off, it’s likely past its prime.
If you’re worried about your soup being watery, try adding a tablespoon of cornstarch when you add your taco seasoning and liquids, which will help to thicken the soup as it heats up.
- Pumpkin Turkey Chili
- Baked Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa
- Healthy Taco Zucchini Boats
- Quick Spaghetti Bolognese with Turkey
- Baked Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 1 green pepper, small dice
- 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 (10-oz.) can pinto beans in chili sauce
- 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 (1-oz.) envelope taco seasoning
- 1 (10-oz.) can tomato soup (undiluted)
- 1 cup water
- Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)
- Sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and once it is warm, add the diced onions and peppers and cook, stirring, until the onions are transluscent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and using a spatula, break it apart into pieces and cook it until it is cooked through.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the optional toppings, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the stew until it is heated throughout.
- When ready to serve, crumble a handful of tortilla chips into a bowl then ladle in the stew and top it with sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions (optional).
Kelly’s Notes
- It can feel a little tricky to remove the seeds from bell peppers! To do so easily, slice off the top of the bell pepper about a 1/2-inch down the pepper, then pull the core of seeds out of the pepper. Then, you can slice the bell pepper in half and brush away any remaining seeds.
- Taco seasoning comes in ready-to-use packets. You can make your own spice blend though using garlic and onion powder, salt, oregano, paprika and chili powder.
- For a fun, customizable dinner, put the soup on the dinner table, with bowls of toppings scattered around it. Then (adult!) guests can add their toppings—as little or as much as they want of each.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This turkey taco stew was amazing and very easy to make. It is a keeper for my family.
I’m so happy to read this, Joyce!
Made this on a camping trip Saturday night, and it was delicious.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Me and my wife went camping yesterday, and we made this recipe. It was wonderful cooked in a dutch oven over a open fire. Going to try some of your other recipes. Thanks Darrell
Woohoo! Love hearing this, Darrell!
I have never sen pinto beans in the 10 oz size. What brand do you use?
Thank you!
Hi Betty! You can use the 16-oz. cans :)
Love hearty recipes like this for fall! Pure comfort food :)
Would you be able to make this delicious recipe in a slow cooker/crock pot?
That should work, Denise! But I would definitely recommend cooking the meat and THEN transferring it into the slow cooker. Here’s another recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili that would be the method I’d follow :) https://www.justataste.com/slow-cooker-chicken-chili-recipe/
Do you post the nutritional values for your recipes? i.e….calories, fat grams, fiber
Hi Ann-Marie! I am not a nutritionist, so I do not provide the calorie counts for any of my recipes.
Making this tomorrow. So happy I found your site! I made the baked taquitos already.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jen! The Turkey Taco Stew is indeed delicious, and I especially like that it has the healthier alternative of leaving off the garnishes, which are not surprisingly, my favorite part.
this looks so good. i just stumbled across your site. i’ll def add this blog to my Rss feed!
thx!