Ingredients and Substitutes
Pictured below you’ll see everything I used from Trader Joe’s. Everything is pretty standard fare you can find at any grocery store.
Seasonings
In testing, I actually preferred Siete mild taco seasoning and classic Hidden Valley ranch seasoning over the Trader Joe’s taco and ranch seasoning mixes. Both work well, just thought I’d mention it!
Frozen Peppers and Onions
You can find other versions of frozen fajita veggies and pepper/onion blends, and I tested a version with Pura Vida fajitas rajas. Differences are minor so feel free to plug and play. I also included notes on using fresh veggies in the recipe card below.
Sour Cream and Cheese
I tested sour cream, both full fat and nonfat Greek yogurt, and blended low fat cottage cheese in the cheese sauce component for the soup.
All four worked with surprisingly minor flavor differences. I ultimately landed on higher fat sour cream because it’s the easiest to work with. The high protein options like nonfat yogurt and cottage cheese take a bit more care to prevent curdling.
All that said, there’s always the option to omit the creamy components altogether and simply add them as a garnish when serving.
Stew on This
So I have a recipe for creamy taco soup from way back in August of 2017. It was one of my first recipes I ever put on this blog, and I’ve never been that in love with it. But for whatever reason, readers absolutely love it. (It has more than 500 5-star ratings.)
This turkey taco soup is my attempt to improve upon a few things nearly 10 years later while staying true to its simple roots. The frozen veggies and pre-made seasonings are all still there, but the broth ratios and creamy components are better now.
I hope you enjoy the updated version. And if you’re new here and in search of more high protein soups, I’ll leave you with a few of my recent favorites:
Hope to cook together again soon!
High Protein Turkey Taco Soup
Ingredients
- ½ Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 16 oz Ground Turkey, 99/1
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Ranch Seasoning
- 4 cups Chicken Bone Broth
- 2 cans (15 oz each) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
- 1 can (15 oz) Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bag (14 oz) Frozen Fire Roasted Bell Peppers and Onions, see notes if using fresh veggies*
- 1 ⅓ cups (186g) Frozen Fire Roasted Corn
- 1 cup Sour Cream, see notes for high protein alternatives**
- 4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, finely grated
- ½ cup Water
- 1-2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce, optional
- Cilantro, Green Onion, Limes, Cotija Cheese, and Tortilla Chips, for serving
Instructions
- Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a 5.5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown before breaking apart with a spatula and fully cooking.
- Add the tomato paste to the cooked turkey, stir together, and cook until dark red, another minute or two.
- Add the taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and a few tablespoons of broth. Stir together and deglaze the pot/scrape any sticky bits off the bottom. Add the remaining broth, beans, diced tomatoes, and frozen peppers and onions. Cover and bring to a boil, about 6-8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir the soup, cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, whisk the sour cream, cheese, and water together. Set aside. (Optional: Add 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce to the cheese mixture.)
- After the soup has simmered for about 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low and add the frozen corn to the soup.
- Carefully ladle about 1 cup of the soup broth into the sour cream mixture and whisk together to temper before adding the cheese mixture to the soup. Stir everything together, cover, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the soup is smooth and creamy before serving.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or green onions, freshly sliced peppers, cotija cheese, lime wedges, and tortilla chips, if desired.
