Looking for a creative, delicious low-carb soup to go along with your keto diet? Look no further! We’ve created a filling, satisfying keto taco soup recipe that will please the whole family. Low net carbs and high fat are just the beginning as this recipe brings Mexican flavor to a whole new level.
Taco soup may not seem like the most intuitive of choices, but we’ve packed this pot of soup with so much flavor that your family will be asking for seconds. And we’ve gone to Mexico for inspiration, giving you a more authentic dish than the slow cooker keto recipes you’ll find elsewhere. Total cook time on this dish is short enough that there’s no need for a slow cooker or Instant Pot, but it can certainly be made in one if that’s your preference.
Traditional Mexican Ingredients
We chose tradition by opting for the more traditional crumbled cotija instead of shredded cheddar cheese. Cotija cheese is the light, briny, white crumbled cheese that tops genuine Mexican street tacos, which is what inspired our keto-friendly soup recipe. We also seasoned our beef with chili powder, cumin, and taco seasoning and used some of the juices to cook the remaining aromatic and spicy veggies.
Sometimes when creating keto recipes, it’s easy to forget that low-carb vegetables are what make up for the lack of starch in meals like this, so we went heavy on tasty peppers. We hand roasted fresh poblano peppers on an open stove flame and chopped colorful bell peppers to add some low-carb fiber to the mix.
Lots of Limes
The secret to this recipe is the lime juice. You might be looking at the list of ingredients and wondering, “Why so much lime juice?” We wanted this soup to have some zing, just like an authentic tortilla soup. If you’re skeptical, try slicing up one of the four limes and serve lime slices alongside the soup. It will be like street tacos in a bowl, where you can add more lime to taste.
The end result is a hearty, tangy, low-carb taco soup topped with the same fresh ingredients you’d get on a street taco: cotija cheese, fresh avocado, and fresh cilantro. Of course, we’re missing the pickled carrots and radishes, but carrots and sweet vinegar aren’t keto friendly. We promise, you won’t even miss them!
Options for the Kiddos
If you’re feeding kids who aren’t following the ketogenic diet, you can always add some carbs in for them. Top this soup with crushed corn chips for a crunchy finish or add some rice to give them some additional starch.
Make It Mild
This soup does have the potential to get a bit spicy with the jalapeño and poblanos, but you can reduce the heat by removing all the seeds before adding the peppers to the soup. If you’re looking to make a super spicy soup, keep the seeds and consider adding additional spice with ancho chili powder or cayenne. Just start slowly so you don’t overdo it. The cream cheese will help cut the spice, too.
Authentic Keto Taco Soup
Featuring ground beef (or turkey), beef bone broth, lots of Mexican-inspired veggies and spices, and a whole lot of lime, this delicious soup recipe is gluten free, legume free, rich, creamy, and just plain awesome. Serve this low-carb taco soup recipe the next time you're hosting guests for dinner. They'll be impressed with the authentic flavors!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tsp. taco seasoning
- 3 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. seasoned salt
- 2 poblano peppers roasted, skinned, and chopped*
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced or pressed
- 1 jalapeño chopped (keep seeds for extra spice, remove for milder flavor)
- 1 red or orange bell pepper cut into thin slices
- 2 cups strained or diced tomatoes*
- 4 cups Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth beef or chicken broth
- 1 cup cream cheese
- Juice of 4 limes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
- Chopped cilantro
- Scallions
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Sour cream
- Cubed avocado
Instructions
Directions:
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Sauté ground beef on high heat in a large soup pot with taco seasoning, cumin, and seasoned salt, stirring to prevent anything from sticking, until brown.
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Roast the peppers while you're cooking the meat, turning them occasionally to ensure all sides are totally blackened.
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Once the meat is mostly cooked through (about 5 minutes), remove from the pot, strain the juices into a separate bowl, and set the beef aside.
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Turn the heat down to medium, pour 2 tablespoons of the beef juices back into the pot, and add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeño.
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Sauté until softened (about 3 minutes).
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Add strained tomatoes and stir to incorporate.
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Clean the skin off of the peppers, loosely chop them (careful to remove seeds if you're sensitive to spice), and add them to the pot.
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Add beef broth, the block of cream cheese, and lime juice, stirring to break up the cream cheese and allow it to totally melt into the soup.
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Taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
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Serve piping hot, each bowl topped with half of a cubed avocado, 2 tablespoons of cotija cheese, scallions, and cilantro.
Recipe Notes
*Roasting your own poblanos is simple and can be done on your stove's open flame. After washing your peppers, place each on its own burner and allow the skin on all sides of the pepper to charr and completely blacken. Once the pepper has become entirely black and blistered, plunge it directly into an ice bath to encourage the skin to loosen from the pepper flesh. You can easily remove the skin and then chop the pepper into smaller pieces. The more seeds you include, the spicier your soup will be. If you don't want to roast your own poblanos, you can sub them and the strained tomatoes for two cans of Rotel strained tomatoes and green chiles.
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