Turkey Taco Soup

It's not very often that something I do on this blog surprises me, but this Turkey Taco Soup did. Months ago, when I was planning my blog posts for this year, I randomly wrote down Turkey Taco Soup. I had no idea what I was going to make, how I would make it, or how it would turn out. A few months later, the next post on the roster is, of course, Turkey Taco Soup. So, I sat down, thought it through, and decided on a plan of action. While cooking the soup, I constantly questioned myself but stuck to the plan. When the soup was finished, it tasted okay. Good, but not as good as I'd hoped. I decided that I would have to make it again to perfect it, but I wouldn't let the soup I'd made go to waste. So, I filled up a bowl, garnished it with some classic taco toppings, and dug in. Wow! Those garnishes brought the soup to life. What was good became great. I couldn't believe how much the soup tasted exactly like a taco. Even better is that I didn't need to go back and make it again. To say that I'm excited to share this recipe with you is an understatement. I, as an almost thirty-seven-year-old man, am giddy with excitement. So, without further delay, let's get to it!

How To Make Turkey Taco Soup

Turkey Taco Soup Ingredients

The ingredients for my Turkey Taco Soup are turkey, onion, garlic, tomato, sweet potato, spices, pickled jalapeno, orange and lime zest and juice, chicken or vegetable stock, black beans, and corn. Then for garnish, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, raw onion, cilantro, Mexican Hot Sauce, and tortilla chips. The jalapenos don't add much spice, but they do add a bit of acidity and flavour. So please don't leave them out because you think they will make the soup too spicy. If you decide not to use them, add a teaspoon or two of cider vinegar or wine vinegar to balance the acidity. I chose turkey for this recipe because it is lean and a traditional Mexican protein. Turkey was first domesticated in Mexico over 2000 years ago.

Making The Soup

Brown the turkey.

Browning the turkey is step one to making this soup. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, add the turkey and cook until it's browned. It's best to put the turkey in the pot, then leave it alone for a few minutes. Then, stir it, and leave it alone for another few minutes. The turkey will never actually brown if you stand there and mix it constantly.

Tomatoes and Onions

Once the turkey is cooked, add the tomatoes and onions. Continue to cook for another three to four minutes or until the onions soften, and the tomatoes start to break down. You can tell the onions are softening because they will begin to turn from opaque to translucent. Next, add the oregano, cumin, salt, paprika, and pickled jalapenos. Cook for another minute or two or until you start to smell the spices.

Citrus

In goes the citrus zest and juice. The citrus does three things. First, it adds flavour, then acidity, and finally sweetness. It is essential. Once you add the citrus, cook it until it has mostly all been cooked away. The easiest way to tell when it's time to move on to the next step is to drag your spoon along the bottom of the pot. If a line forms and stays for at least one second, the citrus has cooked down enough, and you can move on.

Make it a soup.

The final few steps in the cooking process are to add the sweet potato, corn, black beans, and stock. Then, bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for twenty minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. After twenty minutes, or once the sweet potato is ready, taste the soup and season as needed with salt and pepper.

Finishing and Serving The Turkey Taco Soup

The soup is ready, and it's good, but as I said initially, what makes this soup are the finishing touches. So, put the soup in bowls, and garnish each bowl with pepper jack cheese (cheddar or mozza will work too), sour cream, minced raw onion, chopped cilantro, a few drops of hot sauce, and tortilla chips on the side. When eating the soup, I like to crush the chips up as you would with soda crackers in a chicken noodle or tomato soup bowl. But, the chips are also great to just dip in the soup. I'll leave that part up to you.

The Wrap-Up

Please, for your own good, go in your kitchen and make this soup as soon you as possibly can. You will be so unbelievably happy that you did. For once, take my word for it. You need to make this. It is worth your time and effort. If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comments section below. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post. Remember, sharing is caring so share this with your friends. Have a great day! I'll see you back here next Thursday. Oh, and if you love this soup you may also love this turkey taco recipe.

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