Easy Taco Soup from a Pinch of Salt Lake

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 T dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
• 2 T ground cumin
• 1 T ground Ancho chile powder
• 1 T chile powder
• 2 cans beef broth, or use 3 1/2 cups homemade beef stock
• 2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans pinto beans or kidney beans with juice
• Diced avocado
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Corn chips
• Sour cream
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Warm 1 tsp. olive oil in a frying pan. Add the ground beef and cook it until it is deeply browned, using a turner to crumble it into small pieces as it cooks. Transfer the beef to a large soup pot.
2. In the same frying pan, warm the second tsp. of olive oil. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften and take on a little color, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic, oregano, preferably Mexican oregano, cumin, Ancho chile powder, and chile powder. Cook for about 1 minute, just until the spices smell toasty and fragrant.
4. Scrape the onion and spice mixture into the soup pot. Pour 1 cup beef broth, or homemade beef stock, into the frying pan to rinse up the browned bits, then add that liquid to the pot too.
5. Add the remaining broth, the canned tomatoes, and the canned beans to the soup pot.
6. Cook the soup at a very gentle simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring now and then and adding a little more water if it reduces too much. For a thicker soup, cook it for 30 minutes, scoop out a few cups of soup, puree that portion in a food processor or with an immersion blender, stir it back into the pot, and continue cooking for the remaining time.
7. Ladle the soup up hot, with whatever toppings you like.