Easy Taco Soup II

Albertsons It’s a Spring Thing, p. 4

1 lb 90% lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

1 (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix

3 cups hot water

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

1 cup small shells pasta

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook and crumble beef and onions until no longer pink; drain.

We got really lean beef and had to add a little oil to get it going. 

Add remaining ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.

Attractive soup FTW.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips, sliced green onions and sour cream, if desired. 

We added the crunched-up tortilla chips, which were just as much fun to crush as they were to eat. 

Also sour cream and cheese. And we would have added green onions except that Whole Foods, despite selling asparagus in THREE DIFFERENT COLORS, didn't have any green onions. 

My Rating: 5/5: "Fantastic. Spicy enough, meaty enough, and the pasta shells add great texture too. This is the second recipe I've made that was called 'Easy Taco Soup,' and although the first one was a smidge easier, this one was leaps and bound tastier. It's wonderfully filling, but you'll want to go back for seconds anyway."