Easy Taco Soup with Baked Beans is one of those recipes I love having in my back pocket for a busy night. It uses simple ingredients, comes together quickly, and doesn’t require much prep or fuss.
Ground beef, onion, vegetarian baked beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato soup, and taco seasoning come together to make a hearty, slightly sweet, taco-seasoned soup that my whole family enjoys.
I was introduced to this soup when I joined my husband’s family. That whole family raved about “moms taco soup” and they were right! It’s so delicious! It has some amazing flavor!
This is the kind of meal that doesn’t require a special trip to the grocery store. In fact, there’s a good chance you already have most of what you need already sitting in your pantry.
I keep enough ingredients in my house at all times to make this soup twice. And I will make it any time of year. It’s not a “soupy” soup so eating it in July isn’t a big deal to me. In fact, I’ll make it and serve it with chips on the side and scoop the soup out using the chips. So yummy!
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Why You’ll Love This Taco Soup
There are plenty of taco soup recipes out there, but this one has a little twist: vegetarian baked beans.
The baked beans add heartiness and a touch of sweetness that works surprisingly well with the taco seasoning and tomatoes. They also make the soup filling without requiring long list of ingredients.
Here are a few other reasons I keep coming back to this recipe:
- It’s quick. Once the beef and onion are cooked, everything goes into one pot.
- It’s easy. There aren’t complicated stesp or special techniques.
- It’s budget-friendly. Most of the ingredients are inexpensive pantry staples.
- It’s family-friendly. Everyone can add the toppings they like.
- It’s great for busy nights. You can have dinner simmering while you finish up the rest of the evening.
- It’s easy to customize. Add more toppings, adjust the seasoning, or make it as mild or spicy as your family prefers.
And honestly, sometimes that’s exactly what I need from dinner.
Not fancy.
Not complicated.
Just good food that gets everyone fed.
Ingredients
For the Taco Soup
- ground beef
- onion
- vegetarian baked beans
- corn
- omato soup
- petite diced tomatoes
- taco seasoning
Toppings
- Fritos
- cheese
- olives
- sour cream
You can certainly add other toppings if you have them on hand, but these are our favorites for this soup.
How to Make Taco Soup
Brown the ground beef and onion.
Start by browning the ground beef in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the diced onion and cook until the beef is completely browned and the onion has softened.
Dain any excess grease if necessary.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Add the vegetarian baked beans, corn, tomato soup, petite diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning to the pot.
Stire everything together until well combined.
Heat the soup.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occassionally, until the soup is hot throughout and the flavors have had a chance to come together.
Since the ingredients are already cooked, you don’t need to spend an hour simmering this soup.
That’s part of what makes it such an easy weeknight dinner.
Add your toppings.
Ladle the hot soup into bowls and let everyone add their favorite toppings.
We like ours with Fritos, shredded cheese, olives, and sour cream.
The Fritos are especially good because they add a salty crunch to the soft, hearty soup.
My Simply Heidi Tip
Don’t skip the toppings!
The soup itself is delicious, but the toppings are what make this dinner fun.
If you’re feeding a family with different preferences, put everything on the table and let everyone build their own bowl.
One person can have extra cheese and Fritos, another can load up on olives, and someone else can keep things simple with just sour cream.
it makes one dinner work for everyone.
What Kind of Baked Beans Should I Use?
*update: September 2026 I’ve had a hard time finding the vegetarian baked beans I like lately, so I have been using the same brand of regular baked beans and it’s still just as good. Use what you can find. But baked beans add SO much flavor to this soup!
I use vegetarian baked beans for this recipe.
They add a mild sweetness and plenty of substance to the soup without adding another meat flavor.
if you’re standing in the grocery store wondering why baked beans are going into taco soup, trust me on this one. It’s an unusual ingredient but it works.
Can I Make This Soup Spicier?
Absolutely.
The easiest way to make it spicier is to use a spicy taco seasoning.
You can also add your favorite hot sauce (such as siracha), diced jalapenos, or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
If you’re serving kids or family members who don’t like spicy foods, I recommend keep the soup mild and putting hot sauce or jalapenos on the table as a topping option.
That way everyone can make it the way they like.
Can I Make This Taco Soup Ahead of Time?
Yes.
This is a great make-ahead dinner.
prepare the soup according to the recipe and store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat it until hot.
I actually think soups like this are perfect for those evenings when you know you’re going to be busy.
Make the soup earlier in the day, then dinner is basically waiting for you.
Taco Soup Topping Ideas
While Fritos, cheese, olives, and sour cream are our go-to toppings, you can easily switch things up.
Try adding:
- diced avocado
- chopped green onions
- diced tomatoes
- jalapenos
- cilantro
- crushed tortilla chips (I love scooping the soup up using tortilla chips!)
- extra cheese
- hot sauce
- guacamole
You don’t need to buy special ingredients just for the toppings though.
Use what you have.
That’s one of my favorite rules in the kitchen.
What to Serve With Taco Soup
This soup is hearty enough to be a complete meal, especially once you add the toppings.
But if you want to stretch dinner a little further, you could serve it with:
- cornbread
- homemade bread
- tortilla chips
- a simple green salad
- quesadillas
- fresh fruit
How to Store Leftover Taco Soup.
Allow leftover soup to cool and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the soup in a saucepan on the stove.
If the soup thickens a little as it sits, simply add a small amount of broth, water, or milk when reheating until it reaches the consistency you like.
What Makes This a Great Pantry Meal
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how many of the ingredients can live in my pantry.
Baked beans.
Corn.
Tomato soup.
Diced tomatoes.
Taco seasoning.
Those are the kinds of ingredients I like keeping around because they give me options when I don’t have a detailed dinner plan.
Add some ground beef and an onion, and suddenly you have dinner.
This is exactly the kind of practical cooking I love sharing here at Life with Simply Heidi.
You don’t need a pantry full of unusual ingredients.
You need a handful of basic foods that you know how to turn into something your family will actually eat.
Easy Taco Soup
I love recipes like this because they remind me that easy doesn’t have to mean boring.
You can take a handful of inexpensive ingredients, throw them into one pot, and end up with a dinner your family is excited to eat.
And that’s really all I care about. I just want my family to eat good, homemade food.
I want you to have recipes, food ideas, pantry tricks, freezer ideas, and simple systems that help make feeding your family a little easier.
Because you don’t need to do more.
You need systems that make the things you’re already doing easier.
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Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 28 oz vegetarian baked beans
- 1 onion chopped
- 14 oz corn drained
- 14 oz tomato soup
- 14 oz petite diced tomatoes
- Taco Seasoning
- olives sliced
- Fritos
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with diced onion.
- Combine all ingredients in a pot. Heat to warm.
- Serve with Fritos, cheese, sliced olives, and sour cream.
