Almost Mom's Taco Soup

My first blog post in a long time is... a recipe? Yup. That's how good it is!

My roommate recently started making this, and it was so awesome I had to have a try at it. This is the recipe that I came up with. It is amazingly flavorful, and it makes a huge pot's worth. Also, I just found out that it is quite good cold, and I am sure that this recipe could be modified to make a nice cold bean dip.

Almost Mom's Taco Soup

(Note: The "Mom" in the title is not my mother, she is my roommate's mother. She created the original recipe, and this is my take on it. For the original recipe, see the bottom of this post.)

Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 pat of butter
1 lb of ground sausage
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes (of course I get the Hot variety)
2 packages of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing mix
5 cups of water
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions
Dice the onion as fine as you can, and saute it with the clove of garlic in a pat of butter. (You minced the garlic, right? Good, because throwing it in the pan whole would be strange.) When the onion is good and brown, throw in the sausage and heat until fully cooked. Drain (if needed).

Drain the beans and corn. (I don't rinse them so that they keep some of their sauce with them, but feel free to rinse if you like.) Put the rest of the ingredients in the pan (beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, ranch mix, and water). Season with salt, pepper, and lots of cayenne pepper.

Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy with corn chips and sour cream. (Most normal people would also enjoy it with corn bread, but I am not normal as I don't like corn bread.)

Matthew

PS: For those new to my blog, check out my other recipes:
Almost Grandma's Chex Mix
Almost Kelling Family Minestrone Soup
Matthew's Cheesy Sausage and Rice
(Almost) Kelling Family Doritos Salad

PPS: Here is the original recipe, if you would rather try that version:

Mom's Taco Soup

I pour all the beans into the collander, rinse them, and let them drain.
Add whatever beans you want---just try for four cans.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound lean ground beef
4 of any combination of pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, red, northern
1 or 2 cans (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes-- see what looks good.
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1 onion, finely diced
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix or homemade
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix

DIRECTIONS:
Brown beef and add onion.
Add taco seasoning.
Add beans, corn, diced tomatoes and a bit of water.
Add taco mix and ranch dressing.
Let simmer for a few minutes and serve!