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This taco soup in a jar combines rice, freeze-dried corn, bouillon and taco seasonings into a dry soup mix you can keep in the pantry until you need it. When it’s time to make the soup, brown some ground beef and add the jar contents along with black beans, tomatoes and water. The jars are also fun to make in batches and give as gifts, especially with the cooking instructions tied right to the jar.
Why You’ll Love It
Keep this taco soup mix in the pantry for an easy meal later, or add a label and cooking instructions and turn it into a homemade food gift.
Pantry-friendly: The jar contains dry ingredients, so you can assemble it well before you plan to make the soup.
Makes a useful gift: Add a label with the ingredients and cooking instructions, and the jar is ready for gifting.
Only a few additions later: When you’re ready for soup, you’ll need ground beef, canned black beans, diced tomatoes and water.
Easy to customize at the table: Avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro and tortilla strips can all be added to individual bowls.
You might also like cheesy taco pasta (a one-pot recipe!), nutritious taco stuffed zucchini boats or even some delish breakfast tacos.
All My Soup Mix Recipes
Try all my soup mix recipes below and use this printable soup mix label.
Taco Soup Mix in a Jar Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Freeze-dried corn: Use freeze-dried rather than canned or frozen corn because everything stored in the jar needs to be dry.
Minute rice: Use dry parboiled minute rice, which cooks during the short simmering time. Don’t add cooked rice to the jar.
Chicken bouillon: Adds flavor to the soup broth and stores easily with the other dry ingredients.
Dried minced garlic: Gives the soup garlic flavor without adding any moisture to the jar. A little extra never hurts if you’re a garlic fan.
Ground cumin: Adds the warm, earthy flavor you expect in taco seasoning.
Chili powder: Adds a little heat and can be adjusted depending on how spicy you want the soup.
Salt: Seasons the dry soup mix.
To add when cooking: You’ll also need ground beef, canned black beans, canned diced tomatoes and water when you’re ready to turn the mix into soup.
How to Make Taco Soup Mix
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Fill the jar: Add the freeze-dried corn, minute rice, bouillon, dried garlic, cumin, salt and chili powder to a clean, dry mason jar. Seal the lid tightly and add a label with the cooking instructions.
Brown the beef: When you’re ready to make the soup, brown the ground beef in a medium pot and drain excess fat if needed.
Add the soup ingredients: Pour in the contents of the jar, then add the black beans, diced tomatoes and water.
Simmer: Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add toppings: Spoon the soup into bowls and finish with avocado, tortilla strips, sour cream, shredded cheese or cilantro.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it gluten-free: Use a certified gluten-free bouillon and check the labels on the other packaged ingredients. (I really like this brand!)
Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable bouillon in the jar and replace the ground beef with additional beans or your preferred meat alternative when cooking.
Adjust the heat: Reduce or omit the chili powder for a milder soup, or add more if you want extra heat.
Change the beans: Kidney or pinto beans can replace the black beans when you cook the soup.
Serving Suggestions
As an appetizer: Pair a cup of this taco soup in a jar with some tortilla chips or garlic bread.
As a snack: Enjoy your soup with homemade rosemary crackers.
As a main meal: This spicy black bean soup with beef would be delicious served something contrasting, such as shrimp ceviche, pork carnitas or one of these Mexican inspired dishes.
Drink pairing: Watermelon jalapeno margaritas, anyone?
How to Store
Store: Keep the sealed taco soup mix in a cool, dark and dry pantry. Make sure the jar and all the ingredients are completely dry before assembling it.
Label: Add the date you assembled the jar along with the cooking instructions. For the best quality, also check the expiration or best-before dates on the packaged ingredients you used and follow the shortest applicable date.
Top Tips
Start with a completely dry jar: Any moisture defeats the purpose of making a shelf-stable dry soup mix, so make sure the jar, lid and ingredients are dry before assembling it.
Label it right away: Add the cooking instructions and date to the jar as soon as you make it. It seems obvious now, but a mystery jar in the pantry a few months later isn’t nearly as helpful.
Keep the add-ins separate: Ground beef, black beans and tomatoes don’t go into the dry jar. Add those ingredients only when you’re ready to cook the soup.
Make a few at once: Once all the ingredients are out, it doesn’t take much more effort to assemble several jars. Keep some for your pantry and add labels and twine to any you’re giving away.
Taco Soup Mix in a Jar Recipe FAQs
Only add ingredients that are completely dry and shelf-stable. Fresh vegetables, cooked rice, canned beans and other ingredients containing moisture should be added when you cook the soup, not stored in the jar.
You can if you plan to cook the entire double batch at once. For individual batches, separate jars are much easier because the ingredients settle into layers and won’t divide evenly if you try to pour half out later.
Taco Soup Mix in a Jar Recipe
Taco Soup in a Jar
Equipment
- Pot Medium
Ingredients
For the Soup Mix:
- ½ Cup freeze-dried corn
- ¼ Cup minute rice, dried
- 1 Cube chicken bouillon
- ½ Teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon chili powder
To Add When Cooking:
- 1 Cup black beans, canned, rinsed and drained
- 1 Cup diced tomatoes, canned
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 2 Cups water
To Serve (Optional):
- avocado, sliced
- tortilla strips
- sour cream
- shredded Mexican cheese blend
- cilantro
Instructions
Assemble Soup Jar
- Add the freeze-dried corn, minute rice, chicken bouillon, dried minced garlic, cumin, salt and chili powder to a clean, dry 1-pint mason jar. Seal tightly and label with the cooking instructions.
Make the Soup
- In a medium pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat until cooked through.
- Add the contents of the jar to the pot along with the black beans, diced tomatoes and water. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately with your preferred toppings and sides.
Notes
Label it right away: Add the cooking instructions and date to the jar as soon as you make it. It seems obvious now, but a mystery jar in the pantry a few months later isn’t nearly as helpful.
Keep the add-ins separate: Ground beef, black beans and tomatoes don’t go into the dry jar. Add those ingredients only when you’re ready to cook the soup.
Make a few at once: Once all the ingredients are out, it doesn’t take much more effort to assemble several jars. Keep some for your pantry and add labels and twine to any you’re giving away.
Nutrition
Having the dry ingredients already measured is what makes this taco soup jar so handy. Keep one in the pantry for later, or make several at once and turn the extras into gifts with a label and cooking instructions. When it’s time for soup, you only need the beef, beans, tomatoes and water to finish it.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I tried this for a quick lunch, and it was so convenient and tasty!