Soup for a Cold Night

I got this recipe years ago from a friend, and she will admit that I make it more often that she does! I can't help it. It's a favorite in our house. I know, I say that about a lot of my recipes, but it really is. It takes pantry staples and a pound of ground beef, but you end up with a huge batch of soup.

It can only be described as a cross between a chili and a soup. It honestly doesn't take like tacos though, so I am not sure the name is very fair. It is prepared very quickly (within about 30 minutes) and it's just as good reheated.

There are a lot of variations on this. You can change out the type of beans, or you can add a little green pepper, more onion, play with the spices. The choices are endless! It's a pretty healthy meal, with the exception of the cheese quesadillas. Those aren't so healthy unless you use a lower fat cheese (what's the point?). However, we indulge about every four months, so a quesadilla certainly won't kill us. Although the oodles of Tabasco I add may!

Taco Soup

Brown and drain: 1 pound lean ground beed and 1/2 cup onion.

Add:

3 cups water

2 16-ounce cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

2 16-ounce cans kidney beans, undrained

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

chili powder and/or Tabasco to taste

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cheese Quesadillas

from: Pachey

flour tortillas

Mexican blend cheese

green Taco sauce (such as La Victoria)

1. Spread 1/2 cup of cheese on a tortilla. Add green Taco sauce to taste (about 2 tablespoons).

2. Top with another tortilla

3. Over medium-high heat in a frying pan, cook the quesadilla. Don't add any oil to the pan. It's just to "toast" the tortillas.

4. Allow to slightly brown. Remove from heat and cut into wedges.