Beef Enchilada Soup

Tex-mex food is awesome in pretty much every form, including soup! A lot of the U.S. has been dealing with some epic winter weather so to all of you fighting the deluge of snow (hey Chicago!), enchiladas are the perfect winter comfort food. This recipe is super easy to make with hardly any prep time involved. You can buy pre-made enchilada sauce at the grocery store but it’s fresher and easy to make at home. In my opinion it’s worth it to whip up a batch before you start cooking the soup. It can be made several days ahead of time as well if you’re short on cooking time. Possible toppings include: tortilla chips/strips, avocado slices, cilantro, lime slices, diced red onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream…I could go on. The end result was delicious with minimal effort. It can be easily converted to the slow cooker, just add everything into the pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high!

Beef Enchilada Soup
(Makes about 8 servings)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 1 /2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 cups (16 oz.) Red Enchilada Sauce (recipe below)
• 29 oz. black beans, washed and drained
• 29 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 8 oz. canned diced green chiles
• 3 cups yellow corn
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 4 cups beef or chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated cheddar cheese, for garnish
• handful cilantro, chopped for garnish
• sour cream (optional)
• fresh lime slices (optional)
• avocado slices (optional)
• tortilla chips/strips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef, breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the same pot, melt the butter and add the onion. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes until translucent.
3. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin. Cook for another minute, until fragrant.
4. Add the ground beef back into the pot along with the enchilada sauce, black beans, corn, diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, corn and stock. Stir to combine and turn up the heat to bring to a simmer.
5. Turn down the heat and cook for 40-60 minutes on lowest setting, covered.
6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese, cilantro, lime, sour cream, avocado slices or tortilla chips.

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
(Makes about 2 cups, depending on how much the sauce is reduced while cooking)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pot, heat the oil over medium high heat.
2. Add the flour and stir to combine with the oil.
3. Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin and oregano.
4. Pour in the stock slowly while stirring, whisking if necessary to get rid of any clumps that form.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.