South of the Border Taco Soup

Nothing warms you up like a spicy soup. For tonight's dinner, I took advantage of some Mexican Minute Beef in the freezer to whip up this south of the border treat. Instead of carby crackers, I made some cheese crisps to add the crunch.

South of the Border Taco Soup

1 pound Mexican flavored Minute Beef (or freshly browned ground beef)
8 ounces tomato sauce
3 cups water
4 ounces green chiles
3 cups cole slaw mix
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
6 ounces cream cheese

Dice onion and green pepper. Add all ingredients except cream cheese in a large sauce pan. Simmer for 30 minutes. When vegetables are tender, stir in cream cheese until melted.

Minute Beef is great. It saves all that browning time, and the extra skillet to wash. I always have some in the freezer for quick meals. If yours is plain rather than already Mexican spiced, you may want to add a bit to the chili powder and cumin. With soups like this one, you can easily change the veggie mixture to fit what you have in the fridge as well. This would be good with diced zucchini in place of the cole slaw mix. If you don't have cream cheese, stir in some sour cream. It is flexible. Just another day with an easy dinner.