Crockpot Taco Soup

YIELD: 4 large servings PREP TIME: 15 min COOK TIME: 7 hours

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, undrained
1 can (16 oz.) chili beans, undrained
2 cups Trader Joes frozen roasted corn (can also use one 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
12 fl. oz. beer
2 ½ - 4 tablespoons Spice Your Life Southwest Seasoning as desired for taste (see Note below)
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 oz. shredded Colby Cheese (optional)
Greek Yogurt or sour cream (optional)
Crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Additional ground cumin to taste (optional)
Avocado, chopped (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Place black beans, chili beans, corn, onions, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a crockpot. Add Taco Seasoning to taste (add additional ground cumin if desired) and stir to mix. Place uncooked chicken breasts on top of the mixture and press down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Turn crockpot on and cook on low setting for 5 hours.

At the end of 5 hours, remove the chicken breasts and allow them to cool long enough so that you can handle them. Next, shred the cooked chicken, and place the shredded chicken back into the soup. Continue cooking on low heat for an additional 2 hours.

When serving, drizzle a little Chipotle Olive Oil on top of each bowl before serving. Top with cheese, Greek yogurt, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips as desired.

Notes:

If the Taco Seasoning you use is fresh and flavorful I recommend starting with 2 ½ tablespoons, adding more as desired. But if the Taco Seasoning is milder or has been on the shelf longer you will probably need to add more.

This soup also freezes well, if you have leftovers.

Southwest Seasoning

Ground Cumin