Taco Soup Request

I originally posted this recipe back in March under this post. But this afternoon I was talking to my favorite sister that lives in Hawaii and she asked about bean recipes. She knows I'm an uber-frugal-bean-freak and all. And you know what? I woke up this morning to 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside. So Taco Soup sounds like a good idea to me right now! And Danny would so love it if I actually cooked something other than chicken tenders and cold canned green beans sometime soon. Won't he be surprised if I whip up a batch of cornbread to go along with real food? I'm pretty sure Grandma W is hoping I'll feed her son. ;)

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans pinto beans or red kidney beans (approximately 3 2/3 cups)
32-ounces tomatoes
2 cups water
1 4-ounce can green chilies, diced
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning mix

Brown ground beef with onion until there is no pink left in the ground beef. Drain off any grease. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Allow to cool. Place in freezer containers or freezer bags. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Heat until hot and bubbly. Serve with corn chips and shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Or serve with shredded cheddar and fresh cornbread.

Variations: Use black beans instead of pinto beans or kidney beans. Or use a combination. You can s-t-r-e-t-c-h this recipe by adding extra beans or extra canned tomatoes. And you can make it even healthier and less expensive if you omit the ground beef and replace it with 2 extra cups of beans.

EXTRA TIP: Did you know you can freeze grated cheese too? It's better than freezing a block of cheese. A block of cheese frozen tends to crumble easily when thawed.