This Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Soup is the packed with veggies and protein. It will warm you up from head to toe and it’s bursting with flavour and colour. Think of it as a Mexican-inspired hamburger soup!
Soup season is here once again! I love this sweet potato and beef taco soup with kale, fire-roasted tomatoes, and Mexican spices. It’s simple to prepare but tastes amazing. If you garnish it with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and avocado, it becomes a satisfying, balanced meal!
If you love beef soup recipes, you’ll enjoy this Creamy Beef and Tortellini Soup. For more Mexican-inspired soup and stew recipes, check out Southwestern Sweet Potato, White Bean, and Quinoa Soup and Tempeh Chili.
Jump to:
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple: While the ingredient list is relatively short, this soup is big on flavour.
- Healthy: Packed with protein, fibre, beta-carotene, and complex carbs from the sweet potato, this soup checks off all the boxes when it comes to nutrition.
- Kid-Friendly: I have found ground meat to be one of the most kid-friendly protein sources. Unlike certain cuts of meat, ground meat is super easy for children to chew, and who can pass up taco flavours in soup form?
Ingredients
Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this ground beef sweet potato taco soup!
- Extra-virgin olive oil: For sautéing the ground beef onion, garlic, and red pepper. Because we’re using extra-lean ground beef, which doesn’t have much fat, a little bit of olive oil helps to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- Extra-lean ground beef: I prefer extra-lean ground beef over lean ground beef because it is higher in protein and lower in fat while also being much more tender, in my opinion. It also produces less excess fat once it’s cooked, so you don’t need to drain any fat off of it after browning it.
- Onion and garlic: They create a foundational flavour base for this soup.
- Red pepper: Adds colour and natural sweetness.
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika add lots of flavour and warmth.
- Salt: Essential for balancing and enhancing the flavours. Don’t skimp on salt.
- Sweet potatoes: Add colour, natural sweetness, and satisfying carbohydrates. Plus, they are packed with beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which is great for the immune system.
- Black beans: Pretty much an essential ingredient in a taco soup, as far as I’m concerned. Plus, they add a boost of fibre, texture, and satiating complex carbs.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: They add a smoky sweetness, but feel free to use regular diced tomatoes if that’s all you have on hand.
- Beef broth: I use the shortcut option of dissolving organic bouillon cubes in boiling water, but this soup would be incredible with homemade beef broth as well.
- Kale: For a pop of green colour, we’re adding chopped kale right at the end of cooking.
- Toppings: Go crazy with the toppings. I love shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, diced avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and Greek yogurt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let’s take a look at how to make this soup! Note that full instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Add the olive oil to a large pot and warm over medium heat. Add onion, garlic. and beef. Cook until beef is browned.
Step 2: Add all of the spices, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Add the beans and sweet potatoes.
Step 4: Add the broth and diced tomatoes.
Step 5: Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer, loosely covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender. Mix in the kale and cook just until bright green.
Step 6: Serve with desired toppings such as crushed tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, and Greek yogurt.
Substitutions and Notes
- Ground Beef: If you’d prefer, you can use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
- Sweet Potato: Feel free to use diced butternut squash instead of sweet potato.
- Kale: Swap out the kale for chopped spinach.
- Vegan/Vegetarian: Omit the ground beef and replace it with an extra can of beans.
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Soup pot
How To Store This Soup
Store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also store it in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months. Allow it to thaw, then reheat.
My Top Tips
- If you are using lean ground beef instead of extra-lean ground beef, drain off the excess fat after browning. Otherwise, the broth might be overly oily.
- Don’t over-cook the sweet potatoes: Over-cooked sweet potatoes can become mushy and fall apart in the soup.
FAQ
A few flavour boosters can take a bland hamburger soup up a notch. I recommend adding plenty of spices and seasonings, as well as fire-roasted diced tomatoes for a smoky sweetness.
A wide variety of vegetables go well in hamburger soup. In this particular Mexican-inspired version of hamburger soup, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and kale are simmered with ground beef to produce a colourful and flavourful soup. In a more traditional hamburger soup, vegetables such as green peas, carrots. potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans are often used.
More sweet potato recipes
Looking for more recipes with sweet potatoes? Try these:
- Barbecue Meatball Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
- Sheet Pan Moroccan Chicken and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls
- Sweet Potato Blended Baked Oats
- Egg, Pesto, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos
- Black Bean, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Salad
Check out my post with all of my favourite Sweet Potato Recipes.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating and a comment below.
Take a picture of your finished recipe and tag me on Instagram (@upbeet.kitchen), follow me on Pinterest, or connect with me on Facebook. I love seeing all your creations!
Print
Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
This Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Soup is the packed with veggies and protein. It will warm you up from head to toe and it’s bursting with flavour and colour. Think of it as a Mexican-inspired hamburger soup!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow or red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 14–oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 28–oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 4–5 cups beef broth (start with 4 cups and add more as needed)
- 3 cups finely chopped kale
For Serving
- Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
- Diced avocado
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Chopped cilantro
- Limes
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beef, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned. Add the bell pepper, spices, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to incorporate and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, black beans, broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a rolling simmer, then turn down heat to medium-low and loosely cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are cooked.
- Finally, mix in the kale and cook for five minutes, just until it’s bright green and lightly cooked.
- Serve with any or all of the suggested toppings.
Notes
The flavours in this soup deepen over time, so it will be even tastier the next day.
Nutrition information does not include toppings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 13.7 g
- Sodium: 1491.3 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.1 g
- Fiber: 13.7 g
- Protein: 38.1 g
Leave a Reply