I call it Tortilla Soup

This is by no means authentic Mexican food but it's yummy nonetheless! The best thing about this soup is the toppings that you can add to it, you can customize it to the way you want it and every bite is different from the last. I'm sure it'll be a hit with your family.

Next time I make this soup, I will try a different method to add that smokey element to the soup. It is a bit more involved and involves making a sauce with dried Ancho chillies. I will update this post if it turns out ok.

Ingredients list

For the soup
2 lbs lean (or extra lean) ground beef
1 cup each of Carrots, Onions, Celery, and tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic
4 Bay leaves
2-3 dried chillies
1 pack taco seasoning
Beef Broth / Water
Worcestershire Sauce, Paprika, Cayenne powder, Cumin, Oregano, Salt, Black peper (amounts vary per your taste)
1 cup frozen corn
1/8 to 1/4 cup Smokey type hot sauce (I like the Trader Joes one but can be pretty much anything you like)

 For the Toppings: 

Lime
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Avocado
Cabbage or Lettuce (iceberg works the best in my tests)
Onions
Tortilla chips

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, brown ground beef and drain most of the oil that comes out

2. Add onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic, sauté for a few mins

3. Add taco seasoning, dried chilies, worchestershire sauce and bay leaf. You can also add paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper. Basically whatever you like

4. Add enough water and/or beef broth so that theres about 3/4 inch of liquid above the meat & veg mixture

5. Bring to a rapid boil then turn down and let simmer for 45 mins

6. About 20 mins before serving, add frozen corn and check seasoning. At this stage I like to add a smoky flavoured hot sauce, Trader Joe’s chili sauce is one of my faves

7. Serve with fresh cilantro, cabbage/lettuce, raw onions, sour cream, tortilla chips, lime, & avocado (optional)