Dutch Oven Taco Soup
Ground beef, three cans of beans and corn, and two seasoning packets. Feeds eight out of one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 14 oz
- cal / oz
- 44
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 2 lb | 80/20 or leaner; keep it cold until it hits the pot |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium | |
| Minced garlic | 2 tsp | the jarred kind saves a cutting board |
| Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles | 1 can | |
| Corn | 1 can (15 oz) | do not drain |
| Black beans | 1 can (15 oz) | do not drain |
| Pinto beans | 1 can (15 oz) | do not drain |
| Chicken broth | 2 cans (15 oz) | |
| Dry taco seasoning | 1 packet | |
| Dry ranch dressing mix | 1 packet | |
| Mild cheddar | 8 oz | shred at home, or bring a block and a knife |
| Fritos or corn chips | 12 oz bag |
Method
- Set up a 12-inch dutch oven for frying heat, around 375F. That is roughly 25 coals underneath and none on the lid.
- Brown the beef, breaking it apart as it goes. Pour off the grease, or the soup turns into a slick.
- Chop the onion, add it with the garlic, and cook until the onion goes soft.
- Dump in the tomatoes, corn, and both cans of beans with their liquid. Add the broth, then both seasoning packets.
- Bring it to a boil, stirring now and then so nothing catches on the bottom.
- Move most of the coals off to drop the heat to about 225F and let it simmer 20 minutes.
- Serve into bowls. Cheese on top, chips crushed over that.
This is a car-camping recipe and it stays one. Nearly everything in it is shelf-stable canned goods, so the only cooler load is two pounds of beef and a block of cheese, which is why it belongs on night one. Nothing gets drained except the grease. The can liquid from the corn and beans is half the body of the soup, and pouring it out means adding water back later.
The two seasoning packets are doing all the seasoning work. Taco mix brings the chile and cumin, ranch brings salt, buttermilk powder, and enough dried herb to keep it from tasting like a single note. Both are dry and weigh nothing. The chips are not a garnish either: they add the fat and crunch that a bean soup does not have on its own.
Packing
Cans and packets travel in a milk crate and need no cooler. The beef and cheese are the only cold items, so they go in the cooler and get used the first night out. Shred the cheese at home into a zip bag.
Variations
- No dutch oven: this works in any lidded pot on a two-burner stove, same order, same times.
- Swap the beef for two cans of drained chicken or a bag of textured vegetable protein if you would rather skip the cooler entirely.
- Cut the broth to one can for something closer to a chili you can eat with a fork.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/taco_soup-2145.asp