Dirty Dozen: Taco Soup

The most important ingredient in this cold weather staple is a can opener. It's so easy. And delicious.

Taco Soup
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (I use a bag of freezer corn here)
1/4 lb browned hamburger
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes (un-drained)
1 can tomato paste
1/4 of a taco seasoning packet (about a Tablespoon)
1/4 cup water if necessary
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Fritos

Warm beans, corn, burger, tomatoes, paste and seasoning and water in a pot over medium heat, or if you're pressed for time you can dump it in a crockpot (low-6hrs, high-3hrs) and forget about it. Serve with a dallop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a handful of fritos.


My favorite memory of this soup? We took my aging and somewhat dementia plagued grandfather on a disorienting family vacation to the California coast. After a day at the beach we returned to our condo to warm up over a bowl of this stuff. We sprinkled his with the Frito scoops instead of the traditional Frito strips and he refused to eat it. He thought we were trying to feed him seashells. It's a little sad, I know, but I can't eat this without thinking of him and giggling a little bit.