This recipe, by my calculation, ended up being around 97 cents per serving (in Iowa, at least).  That includes cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.  It’s all store-brand items. Very little of it was on special, but it will feed Mr. NaW and me about four meals – Unless we eat two bowls of soup which happens more often than I’d like to admit.  You can meat it up by adding chicken or beef to the mix, but here we make it meat-free.  It’s cheaper and just as delicious.  It’s also vegan if you omit the sour cream and cheddar which is just as good – I actually started making this when I did my month of being vegan years ago.

Plus it’s made in a slow cooker!  Oh my gosh, yet another love affair that I’m revisiting.  How can I not love it?  A hot meal when I get home from working an eight hour day on my feet with no work?  I do believe so, yes.

Taco Soup

1 can chili beans, undrained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
2 cans of tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
12 oz of vegetable stock (see note about my vegetable stock)
1 packet of taco seasoning (though typically I use the hot Mrs. Dash, because we have a jar of it lying around that won’t seem to empty itself)

1. Mix it all up in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 7 hours.
3. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

I make my own vegetable stock, because I’ve found it’s a good way to use up the leftover veggies that won’t get eaten otherwise.  All you have to do is boil vegetables in water for around an hour and then strain them out.  It’s seriously just that easy, and it freezes wonderfully.