Best Homemade Turkey Taco Soup

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One taste of this Turkey Taco Soup and you’ll agree that it is the Best Homemade Turkey Taco Soup!

With adobo spiced turkey, black beans, tomatoes, and corn, in a delicious zesty broth, this Homemade Turkey Taco Soup is an easy healthy delicious dinner recipe!

I love healthy, zesty Soup Recipes, like my Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe and Chicken Pozole that are perfect any time of year.

This soup is packed with flavor, whether you make it with turkey, ground beef, or ground chicken, and whether you use canned tomatoes or make your own Chipotle Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes.

For a taco soup made in the Instant Pot with ground beef, try my Instant Pot Taco Soup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Flavor. This soup is packed with flavor with adobo seasoning, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and avocados. If you were wondering how to make taco soup without a taco seasoning packet, then just follow this recipe.
• Versatile. This taco soup is easy to customize. Use ground turkey, chicken, or beef.
• Healthy. A broth-based soup packed with protein and vegetables.
• Easy One Pot Meal. Make your entire meal in one pot and save time cleaning up.

How To Make Turkey Taco Soup

Equipment

The affiliate links below will allow you to see the product on Amazon.com. If you purchase one of the items, I will receive a very small commission on the product, which does not increase the price.

• Cutting Board - You need a cutting board and I like this large, sustainable bamboo cutting board.
• Chef's Knife - Every kitchen needs a Chef's Knife and this is a good affordable option.
• Vegetable Chopper - If you don't want to use a knife, then I recommend using this vegetable chopper to make chopping easier.
• Electric Can Opener – This popular Hamilton Beach model has an easy push down lever.
• Dutch Oven – Perfect for this soup. This one is a popular best selling 6 quart Dutch Oven.
• Instant Pot - I use this Instant Pot Duo 7 In 1 Pressure cooking for my recipes.

Ingredient Notes

Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don't have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

• Oil. I used avocado oil. However, you could use olive oil, or your favorite oil.
• Garlic. Use fresh, roasted, or pre-mined garlic.
• Onion. I used a white onion. However, you could use a yellow, sweet, red, or green onion.
• Bell Peppers. I used a sweet red bell pepper. However, you can use any color. Sometimes I use multiple colors to add color and interest to the soup.
• Ground Turkey. I used ground turkey. However, you could use ground chicken or ground beef.
• Cumin. I used ground cumin. Another option would be to make my Homemade Taco Seasoning in advance and use that instead of the cumin, chili powder, and adobo seasoning.
• Chili Powder. I like to use Gebhardt’s because of the flavor.
• Adobo Seasoning.
• Italian Seasoning.
• Beans. I used black beans and pinto beans. However, you can use red beans, garbanzo beans, navy beans. Whatever you have on hand.
• Corn. You can use fresh or frozen, or canned.
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth. Chicken broth will be a base. I like to use low sodium broth to prevent the soup from becoming too salty given the other seasoning
• Crushed Tomatoes – you could also use instead our Chipotle Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes and chipotles in adobo sauce.
• Tomato Paste. This helps to thicken the soup and give more tomato flavor.
• Diced green chilies or jalapeños (optional) – For those who like it spicy.

Easy Instructions With Step By Step Photos

1. Sauté Aromatics. Place a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the minced garlic, onions, and bell peppers. Saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Brown The Turkey. Add 1 lb. of ground turkey (may sub ground meat of choice) along with 2 tsp. each of ground cumin and smoked paprika (may sub chili powder), ½ tsp. each of Adobo seasoning and Italian seasoning, and ½ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Saute the turkey for 7-8 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. The meat should be fully cooked before adding the rest of the ingredients.
3. Add The Beans. Add the 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans and 2 cups of frozen corn to the soup pot.
4. Add Broth and Tomatoes. Add 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups of crushed tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer or low boil, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

• Add Tomato Paste and Sugar. After cooking 20 minutes or so, remove the cover and add 1 tsp. of sugar (this helps to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes), and 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste.
• Simmer. Stir all of these ingredients together and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the tomato paste has incorporated into the soup.

Toppings for Taco Soup

• Cilantro. Add some freshly chopped cilantro on top.
• Avocado or Guacamole. Either slice or chop fresh avocado to add to the soup.
• Mexican Cheese. I like to add some queso fresco or Cotija cheese.
• Tortilla Chips. I like to use these Homemade Tortilla Chips, which are baked instead of fried.

Pro Recipe Tips

• To Balance The Flavors. Taste the soup and adjust the flavors if necessary. If the soup is too acidic or tangy add a bit more sugar. If it needs more salt and pepper feel free to add a bit more.
• Reduced Sodium Broth. Using reduced sodium chicken broth (or other broth of choice) helps prevent the soup from being too salty when combined with other seasoning.
• Thicken The Soup. If you would like to thicken the soup even more add a bit more tomato paste.
• Thin The Soup. If you would like to thin it out add a bit more chicken broth or water.

What To Serve With Turkey Taco Soup

• Sliced Limes. Slice some limes to serve with the soup.
• Sliced jalapeños. For those that like to spice things up a bit, serve some sliced jalapeños on the side.
• Cornbread. Serve some Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread with the soup.
• Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How long does taco soup last in the fridge?
  • Store the taco soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Can you freeze taco soup?
  • Store in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

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Recipe

Turkey Taco Soup Recipe

By Michele Feuerborn

5 from 6 votes

This Taco Soup recipe is the perfect easy healthy dinner recipe! It’s made with ground turkey, Mexican spices, corn and topped with cheese.

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Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 272

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Ingredients To Saute

• ▢ 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 Onion, diced any color
• ▢ 1 Bell Pepper, diced any color
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Ground Turkey and Taco Seasoning

• ▢ 1 lb. Ground Turkey (or ground chicken or beef)
• ▢ 2 tsp. Cumin (or Homemade Taco Seasoning)
• ▢ 2 tsp. smoked paprika (or chili powder)
• ▢ ½ tsp. Goya Adobo Seasoning
• ▢ ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
• ▢ ½ tsp. black pepper

Black Beans and More

• ▢ 2 (15-ounce) cans Black Beans, rinsed (or beans of choice)
• ▢ 2 cups Frozen Corn
• ▢ 4 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• ▢ 2 cup Crushed Tomatoes
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• ▢ 1 tsp. Sugar

Toppings (Optional)

• ▢ Avocados, sliced or chopped Queso Fresco (or cheese of choice), Cilantro, Limes, Corn Tortillas, Tortilla Chips (optional)
• ▢ Fresh cilantro, chopped
• ▢ Queso Fresco, crumbled
• ▢ Tortilla Chips

Instructions 

Saute The Aromatics

• Place a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
• Once the oil is heated, add the minced garlic, onions, and bell peppers. Saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Brown The Turkey with Taco Seasoning

• Add 1 lb. of ground turkey (may sub ground meat of choice) along with 2 tsp. each of ground cumin and smoked paprika (may sub chili powder), ½ tsp. each of Adobo seasoning and Italian seasoning, and ½ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Saute the turkey for 7-8 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. The meat should be fully cooked before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Add Black Beans And More

• Add the 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans and 2 cups of frozen corn to the soup pot along with 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups of crushed tomatoes.

Cook The Soup

• Bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer or low boil, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes or so, remove the cover and add 1 tsp. of sugar (this helps to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes), and 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste. Stir all of these ingredients together and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the tomato paste has incorporated into the soup.
• Taste the soup and adjust the flavors if necessary. If the soup is too acidic or tangy add a bit more sugar. If it needs more salt and pepper feel free to add a bit more. If you would like to thicken the soup even more add a bit more tomato paste. If you would like to thin it out add a bit more chicken broth or water.

Serve The Soup With Toppings

• Serve immediately along with your favorite toppings. I love to add sliced avocados, a squeeze of lime, chopped cilantro, Queso fresco, and enjoy with warmed corn tortillas or tortilla chips (the toppings are optional and can be adjusted according to your tastes).

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Notes

• You may substitute ground meat of your choice for ground turkey. Ground chicken, beef, or venison are great options.
• I recommend lean ground turkey (or ground meat of choice) when making soup so that it does not become greasy. 90% lean or above is optimal.
• You can use any variety of beans you like in this soup – Black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans are all great choices.
• This soup is naturally gluten-free and healthier than many taco soups as it is made without seasoning packets.
• Taco soup lasts 3-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before transferring to the fridge for storage.
• This taco soup may be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer.
• To Freeze: Prepare the soup according to the instructions and allow it to cool completely before freezing. Place the cooled soup in heavy-duty freezer bags or airtight plastic containers. Label with the date and store for up to 3 months.
• To Thaw: Transfer the containers of soup to the fridge 24 hours before heating. To heat the soup place it in a Dutch oven or soup pot on the stovetop and heat on medium until warmed through completely.
• This soup may be served with anything that is normally served with tacos. Spanish rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, chips and salsa, guacamole, shredded or crumbled cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, or cornbread are all great options.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 967mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1731IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 4mg