I have a voracious family. One deceivingly skinny husband (Keith), two college age daughters (Whitney and Victoria) and one teenage son (Chip) who can eat his weight in most anything….five times a day. Chip recently asked me if “a couple of the guys” could come over to our house and watch the Super Bowl. Let me explain to you that the last time “a couple of the guys” came over for a game I had prepared lunch for six and ended up feeding fifteen. Talk about your loaves and fishes! This time, I’m going to be prepared.

I was going through the recipe section on pauladeen.com (my go to site for recipe inspiration) and ran across a recipe for Taco Soup. Paula’s recipe sounded delicious, but I felt I needed to bump up the protein for these rapidly growing boys and do what Paula always says to do…make it your own. Below is my delicious interpretation of Paula’s recipe. I only hope I made enough!

SOUPer Bowl Taco Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 pounds ground turkey
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons, canola oil
3 onions, diced
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can sweet corn
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can Mexican tomatoes
2 (1 oz.) packages dry ranch salad dressing mix
Salt and pepper

For Garnish:
Green onions, chopped
Cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream
Spicy jalapeno cornbread

Directions:
In a large skillet saute the ground beef, turkey and pork until browned. Drain fat and set aside.

In a large stock pot over medium heat, add canola oil, onions, green chilies, cumin, chipotle powder and chili powder. Saute until onions are translucent. Add the meat and the remaining ingredients (including the bean juices) to the stock pot and stir well to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. (Add water or chicken stock if soup is too thick) To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with green onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream. Serve with a spicy cornbread.

Servings: 10-12
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy