Cheesy Taco Soup

Watching the weekend weather forecast has me scrambling for soup recipes. We may get 3 to 6 inches of snow, along with "a wintery mix." A warm bowl of soup after checking for new babies in the pasture sounds like the perfect wintertime weekend meal.

This Cheesy Taco Soup recipe has been on my radar for quite some time, since Jill recommended it. I already have a go-to, just-open-the-cans Taco Soup recipe from Eric's mom, Christy. So trying a new taco soup moved to the back burner, so to speak. But it had "cheesy" in the title, so how could I resist for long?

Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese stirred into a buttery roux sauce added just the right flavor and dimension to the soup. To serve, I added a sprinkle of chopped cilantro for color and flavor, along with the Frito chips. You can also sprinkle with more cheese, if desired.

Serve it up with fresh veggies and/or fruit, and a wintertime feast is ready in no time at all!

I'd be all right with having the soup on the menu and doing without the accompanying "wintery mix."

Cheesy Taco Soup

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Serves 4-6

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely chopped (or minced onion to taste)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
Salt & pepper
1 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 10-oz. can Rotel, undrained
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
Fritos chips or crushed tortilla chips (opt)
Cilantro, minced (opt)
Additional grated cheese (opt)

Brown ground beef and onion in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat until no longer brown, adding salt and pepper to taste. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, then stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk; season with salt and pepper, and stir until mixture is thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese until smooth. Set aside.

To the browned hamburger in the soup pot, add taco seasoning, Rotel, black beans, cheese sauce and remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir well to combine. Bring to a heavy simmer, then turn heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle into soup mugs and top with Fritos, minced cilantro and additional grated cheese, if desired.

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Need other soup ideas for this cold winter weekend? Here are some other tried and true recipes from The County Line.

Lentil-Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato and Rice Soup

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Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Zuppa Toscana

(Copycat version of The Olive Garden recipe)