Creamy Taco Soup

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
4 cups chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chilies with juices
1 (14 oz) can black beans drained & rinsed
1 (12 oz) can corn drained
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 TBS chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
8 oz cream cheese softened
Salt & pepper to taste
Toppings (optional): grated cheddar, avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips, etc.

Instructions

1. Add the ground beef to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown it, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, for about 10 minutes. If there's excess fat, spoon most of it out.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot except for the cream cheese and salt & pepper.
Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Then turn down the heat so it's simmering gently, uncovered, for 8 minutes. While the soup cooks, prep your toppings.

3. Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and add it to the soup. Let it melt in (you may have to stir it a fair bit until it's fully dissolved). Season the soup with salt & pepper and serve with toppings as desired.

Notes

The cream cheese for this recipe should be super soft so it melts into the soup easily. I recommend taking it out of the fridge prior to starting the recipe and then microwaving it in 20-30 second intervals until it's very soft.

You can use beef broth instead of chicken broth if you don't mind the soup being a darker color. If you have any concerns with salt, use low-salt broth.

If you want to make this soup spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

If you're not using Rotel diced tomatoes, you can use regular ones, but I suggest adding a can or two of diced green chilies as well (the 4 oz. size ones) since it really makes a difference in the way the soup tastes.

from Salt & Lavender