Crockpot Taco Soup

I made another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking on Tuesday - for taco soup. This was excellent! It seemed like a chili to us, though - not sure why mine got so thick... I even added some water to make up for the liquid I didn't add from using canned corn (I used home-frozen)... and with the kidney beans in there, it reminded us of chili with a taco flavor. No complaints from anyone, though - all three of us loved it! Definitely another keeper recipe! I made a half recipe and it was more than enough for dinner and several lunches.

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn (I used home-frozen, so I added about 2 cups of water to replace the liquid in the cans of corn)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I used 2 Tablespoons of my homemade mix)
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment (optional)

Brown meat if you are going to use it. Drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.) Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock. Add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5.

Stir well before serving and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. (I just used a small dollop of sour cream)