Easy Taco Soup Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

How do I thicken up my taco soup? ›

One option is to add crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips to the soup. The chips will dissolve and create a thicker consistency. Another alternative is to use instant mashed potatoes. Simply sprinkle some into the soup and stir well, allowing it to thicken before serving.

Add Some Starches

The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve a smaller portion with plenty of rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, or plain starch to counter the heat. For soups and stews, raw and starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots work well.

Add Acidic Ingredients

Acidic things (like lemon or lime juice, wine, vinegar, tomatoes, etc.) can all help cut the spiciness of a soup. If your too-spicy soup is tomato-based, an easy solution is to simply add more tomato.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

Try light meals of clear soups, such as chicken soup or bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water. Drink plenty of fluids to replace what you are losing with diarrhea. Stay hydrated by sipping clear liquids throughout the day. High-protein foods, such as skinless chicken or scrambled eggs.

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

Scoop a dollop of sour cream into your bowl of soup and stir it into the broth. The fat in the sour cream will help mask the spices and make your soup creamier. If the soup still tastes too spicy, drop in more sour cream until it's palatable. Sour cream works well for chili, chowder, and taco soup.

Turns out, the fiery chemical in hot chilis, capsaicin, likes to bind itself onto a compound in milk, which neutralizes the burn. Add a generous dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt to scorching hot chili or stews, or even a touch of milk or cream. For best results, though, go with full-fat dairy.

Can I add milk to soup to make it less spicy? ›

You can also stir in dairy like yogurt, sour cream, milk (only if the dish isn't sour, or it will curdle), buttermilk, or kefir into a dish; the capsaicin will bind with the milk proteins instead of the nerve receptors in your mouth.

Bulk up the Recipe to Dilute the Spice

Protein can help thin out the spicy ingredients as long as they haven't been preseasoned with the same heat-building ingredients. Starches like potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread work to soak up and diffuse spiciness without adding distinct flavors that may alter the recipe.

You can try diluting the soup and adding more ingredients. Some dishes will improve with the addition of an acid (lime juice or lemon) and/or brown sugar. Peanut butter will cut the heat to some degree. There is no spice that would counteract a hot spice, but adding coconut mil (or any milk/cream) should do the trick.

If you want to skip the cornstarch in your homemade seasoning to use it for other purposes, just sprinkle ⅓ to ½ teaspoon of cornstarch per pound of browned, spiced meat before adding ¾ cup of water and heat until thickened.

Ok, this may be a little obvious, but just adding water is going to make your soup go a little further. If you stick to a 50/50 ratio between water and whatever flavoured liquid you're using in your soup (be it tomatoes, a stock type, or a cream), you're unlikely to dilute it to the point of making it unpalatable.

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

Masa harina is an especially effective thickener, so start with a small amount — say, 1 tablespoon each water and masa harina per 3 cups of chili. It can take a few moments for masa harina to work its magic, so let the chili simmer, stirring often, for about five minutes, and then check its consistency.