High Protein Creamy Taco Soup Recipe (2024)

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This high protein taco soupis a cool weather favorite and one of the most popular recipes on my blog. It’s perfect for meal prep and super easy to make in bulk with minimal time and effort. Every serving has 18 grams of protein, only 210 calories, and tons of a super filling veggies.

Like any dump soup, you can add just about anything you want with minimal impact on flavor. If you don’t love veggies or have a picky eater in the house, this could be a great way to mask cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, onions and peppers, or other vegetables you can finely chop.

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How to Make High Protein Taco Soup

Whip out your largest stock pot and let’s get cooking. I’ll walk you through the recipe and add a few bonus prep tips and ingredient substitution notes along the way.

Browning and Cooking the Meat

The recipe calls for 96% lean ground beef I use for nearly all my ground beef recipes, but you could also use ground turkey or chicken. I prefer the latter and have used 97% lean ground chicken to make recipes like Tex-Mex white bean ground chicken soup and buffalo ground chicken chili. Can’t find ground chicken? You can make your own from chicken breast with a food processor, knife, or meat grinder.

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Whatever meat you end up using, make sure to get some browning via the Maillard reaction. There’s lots of flavor to be missed by not browning.

Tips for successfully browning ground meat:

  • Make sure the pot or pan is HOT before adding the protein. The Maillard reaction occurs at higher temperatures, and the meat will cool the pot once it goes in. A hot pan (cast iron helps due to its heat retention properties) ensures you get browning and not boiled meat.
  • Pat the ground meat dry with a paper towel before going in the pot. Moisture prevents browning.
  • Gently press the meat down to create surface area then leave it untouched for at least 3-4 minutes.
  • Don’t crowd the pot or pan. You can brown in batches if you’re having trouble getting adequate browning.

The Canned Components

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You’ll need a can of pinto beans, black beans, whole kernel corn, stewed tomatoes, and RO-TEL or diced tomatoes with green chiles. Everything goes in the soup undrained, both for nutrition info accuracy and a flavorful cooking liquid.

If you’d like to switch up the beans, use exclusively diced or stewed tomatoes, or omit the corn, that’s perfectly fine. You really can’t mess up when it comes to make this high protein soup. If you’ve seen my Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup recipe, the fire roasted corn and tomatoes would be great additions here.

Taco Soup Seasoning

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Taco seasoning and ranch dip mix or seasoning. That’s it. If you wanted to reduce the sodium, you could make your own seasoning blends. My baked beef tacos have a good seasoning blend you could double and combine with homemade ranch seasoning. There’s even some ingredient overlap.

Frozen Veggies

I mentioned it above, but this recipe is extremely customizable. Since nearly all of us need to eat more vegetables, I like to add plenty of onions, peppers, cauliflower, and even broccoli. That may sound crazy, but you’ll never know you’re eating broccoli. For a lower profile veggie, check out my slow cooker chicken taco soup and taco chili recipes, which use frozen chopped spinach that’s super hidden.

Just think about all the added nutrients and volume!

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If you’d rather use fresh, that’s perfectly fine. Either way, you’ll want to add everything and simmer until the veggies are tender.

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I will mention, however, the frozen vegetables will release quite a bit of water once they’re in the soup. If you’re using fresh and notice your taco soup is too thick, you can add a little water or broth.

For a little flavor bonus, add some bay leaves and fresh herbs like in my ground beef vegetable soup recipe and remove before serving.

Make it Creamy

Once the veggies are tender and everything has simmered together, it’s time to incorporate the creamy components. Be sure you’ve turned the heat to low or removed from the heat entirely.

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The recipe calls for fat free cream cheese, but reduced fat works fine. And since it’s a massive batch of food, you don’t notice the nutrition facts difference per serving as much as you’d think. You can also use reduced fat sour cream in place of fat free Greek yogurt if you’d like. They both add that tanginess we’re after to balance the saltiness of the soup.

2023 Update: Blended low fat cottage cheese is all the rage right now, and I’ve used it to make protein queso and protein macaroni and cheese with great success. Just pop it in a food processor or hit it with a stick blender and reap the benefits!

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If you’d rather make your high protein taco soup without the creamy components, you could add 2-4 cups of broth or water when adding the canned vegetables in step 2.

How to Serve this High Protein Soup

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You can portion this out to fit your meal timing schedule and/or calorie needs. I’ve portioned the recipe into 12 servings that are about one and half cups each. If you wanted larger or smaller, simply multiply the nutrition facts per serving by 12 to get the total nutrition facts for the recipe.

Healthy Taco Soup Toppings

  • Fat Free Greek Yogurt or Reduced Fat Sour Cream
  • Baked Tostitos Scoops or Low Calorie Tortilla Chips
  • Diced or Sliced Avocado
  • Shredded Cheese or Queso Fresco
  • Salsa, Hot Sauce, Fresh Pico, Cilantro, or Diced Jalapeño

Okay, that’s it for recipe notes. When you try this high protein taco soup and love it, I would love to hear about it. Let me know in a recipe review or comment at the bottom of this post.

And if you’re active on Pinterest, I’d appreciate you pinning this recipe. Thanks in advance and thanks for reading and enjoy your high protein taco soup!

High Protein Creamy Taco Soup Recipe (10)

High Protein Creamy Taco Soup

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Lean ground beef, black and pinto beans, golden corn, and tons of vegetables come together to make soup that's the perfect solution for high protein meal prep in a hurry.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Ground Beef (96/4)
  • 15 oz can Sliced Stewed Tomatoes
  • 10 oz can RO-TEL (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
  • 15 oz can Black Beans*
  • 15 oz can Pinto Beans*
  • 15 oz can Whole Kernel Corn*
  • 2 packets Taco Seasoning
  • 1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
  • 12 oz bag Frozen Pepper & Onion Blend
  • 12 oz bag Frozen Broccoli & Cauliflower Florets
  • 8 oz Fat Free Cream Cheese, room temp
  • 1 cup (227g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef before breaking apart and fully cooking.
  2. Once the meat is fully cooked, add all the canned ingredients and seasoning packets. Stir to fully combine and bring to a boil.
  3. Add the frozen vegetables and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes. (The soup will be thick but the vegetables will release water as they cook.)
  4. Reduce the heat to low or turn off the heat if you're planning to serve immediately. Add the cream cheese and Greek yogurt and stir until evenly incorporated.
  5. Serve with cilantro, diced onion and jalapeño, shredded cheese or queso fresco, and tortilla chips, if desired.

Notes

*Undrained. If you want to drain, you may need to add water or broth.

You can use any combination of frozen vegetables or even fresh vegetables.

You can use dairy free cream cheese and yogurt or swap the creamy components altogether with an additional 2-4 cups of water or broth.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 ServingsServing Size: 1 1/2 cup (about 12 oz)
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 260Total Fat: 4gCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 6gProtein: 24g

Want more kinda healthy recipes?

Follow me on Pinterest to see all of my recipes organized in one place with photos!

More Healthy Tex-Mex Recipes You Might Like

  • Air Fryer Quesadillas
  • Copycat Torchy’s Brushfire Tacos
  • High Volume Taco Meal Prep Bowls
  • Shredded Mexican Chicken
  • Traeger Smoked Mexican Chicken Breast
  • Copycat Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch
High Protein Creamy Taco Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you increase protein in soup? ›

Dairy is a super-important source of protein. Finishing vegetable or tomato-based soups with a dollop of yoghurt or a dash of milk is a tasty way to get a healthy protein boost and add silky creaminess to the finished dish; try it with this Spring vegetable & chicken soup or Chicken & rice soup.

How much protein is in a bowl of Taco Soup? ›

Nutrition Information
NutrientsAmount
Total Sugars6 g
Added Sugars included0 g
Protein16 g
Vitamin D0 mcg
10 more rows

How can I make my soup more creamy? ›

The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.

What if my Taco Soup is too thick? ›

If you find the soup is too thick after reheating (I haven't run into this personally!) stir in a splash of beef broth or chicken broth.

How much protein powder to add to soup? ›

You can stir a tablespoon of whey or soy protein into your favorite homemade cream-based soups. They key is to add the powder at the end, once the soup has stopped simmering because high heats can affect the nutritional value of the powder.

How do I add more protein to my recipe? ›

Here are 10 ways to add roughly 10 grams of protein to your meals.
  1. Greek Yogurt. One half-cup of Greek yogurt contains about 11 grams of protein. ...
  2. Eggs. ...
  3. Nut Butter. ...
  4. Chia Seeds. ...
  5. Cottage Cheese. ...
  6. Lentils. ...
  7. Whole-Grain Products. ...
  8. Edamame and Soy Products.
Mar 31, 2022

Does tortilla soup have protein? ›

Higher-Protein and Fiber: This high-protein chicken tortilla soup has 38 grams of protein in each serving with 13 grams of fiber from the beans and vegetables. That's almost half the daily recommended amount of fiber! Low-Calorie Chicken Tortilla Soup: This soup recipe has 406 calories for a hearty serving.

How many calories are in Paula Deen taco soup? ›

Paula Deen Taco Soup (1.3 cups) contains 44g total carbs, 32g net carbs, 14g fat, 26g protein, and 391 calories.

How much protein is in a cup of soup? ›

Table of Nutritional Information
Per 100g As PreparedPer Portion (255g) As Prepared
Fibre<0.5g0.5g
Protein0.5g1.3g
Salt0.47g1.20g
This pack contains 4 portions
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Should you add milk or cream to soup? ›

Yes, you can definitely add cream to your soup. Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in soup? ›

To replace 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream in your recipe, add 2 tablespoons (19 grams) of cornstarch to 1 cup (237 mL) of milk and stir, allowing the mixture to thicken. You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe.

What cream is best for soup? ›

There's classic heavy cream, of course, which makes soups like our creamy tomato Parm soup and our cream of broccoli soup extra delicious. Another great (and non-dairy) option is coconut milk.

What can I use to thicken taco soup? ›

How do you thicken taco soup? You shouldn't need to thicken this taco soup, since the meat and vegetables make it pretty chunky. However, if you like extra thick, rib-sticking soup, try adding refried beans, other mashed beans or rice to thicken it up.

Does adding heavy cream to soup make it thicker? ›

Heavy cream

Use heavy cream as a keto-friendly thickening option for your soups and broths. Heavy cream has more fat than regular whole milk, so you can add it to your soup recipes without worrying about it curdling.

Does sour cream help thicken soup? ›

Another option for thickening soup is by using dairy like sour cream or yogurt. Start with a small dollop and stir before checking the consistency and adding more. We recommend using plain yogurt so you don't alter the taste of the soup. You can also use cream if you prefer.

How do you add protein to canned soup? ›

Add protein: Leftover chicken or steak, some cooked diced ham or bacon or sausage (just a little — that soup is already salty). If you don't want to add meat, think of what makes a bowl of ramen so yummy; a soft-cooked jammy egg could be just the thing.

How can I increase my protein content? ›

Swapping your cereal for Greek yogurt, eating more beans, adding collagen to your coffee, and keeping ready-to-eat protein-rich snacks on hand are just some of the many ways to fit more protein into your diet.

What can I add to soup to bulk up? ›

To help make your soup go even further, food director Abigail Donnelly shares her tips for bulking up or thickening soups if you prefer a heartier bowl.
  1. Blend bread into your soup. ...
  2. Add leftover rice or lentils. ...
  3. Flour and butter make great thickening agents. ...
  4. Add a can of samp and beans.
Jun 19, 2023

How to add protein to soup without meat reddit? ›

Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, refried beans are all good proteins that don't require a ton of prep. Oat meal after day 2 is also a good source. Chicken stock can be added to any vegetable purée to introduce more protein as well. Also remember the base to most soups is a stock.

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