Taco Bean Soup

I love eating soup any time of the year, but it is especially satisfying in autumn, as the days are growing shorter and the temperature falls, to sit down and eat a hearty bowl of soup.  At this time of year, I make soup at least 3 times a month, freezing the extras in meal-sized portions for quick and easy lunches.  One of my favorites is this recipe for Taco Bean Soup from Vicki.

Taco Bean Soup
2 lbs ground beef (or ground turkey or shredded, cooked chicken)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large can chopped green chilies
2 15 oz cans pinto beans
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans yellow hominy (or white if you can't find yellow)
1 15 oz can corn
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch seasoning mix
1/2 t salt
1 t pepper
1/2 t celery seeds
1 t sugar

Brown meat and add onion.  Add remaining ingredients (do not drain vegetables--just open and dump).  Simmer for 2 hours.

I usually serve this soup with crushed tortilla chips (or you can make some baked tortilla strips) and shredded cheddar cheese.  So yummy!

What's your favorite soup recipe?

Some things to note: hominy can be found near canned vegetables or in the ethnic section of your grocery store.  Ranch seasoning mix can be found near the salad dressings.  Use a large pot (5 qt or larger)--this makes a lot of soup!  I usually don't add the salt, since the seasonings and most canned vegetables already have quite a bit of salt.  Since it doesn't contain any broth, you could easily make this soup vegetarian, just by leaving out the meat.  You could add tofu if you prefer.