Shine On, You.: Steph's FAVE 'Skinny' Crockpot Taco Soup

First of all, I h.a.t.e. the word "skinny".

I guess a better word to use would be "healthier", or "light", or something like that. But "skinny" is usually the popular choice, so I just used it.

Ok, good. Now that that's off my chest, we can move on. PHEW.

So, I first discovered this recipe YEARS ago, right when we had moved to Arizona. I had just had our third baby, and I was ALL about the crockpot. It's easy, you throw it all in the thing and it cooks for you while you go about your business, AND usually you eat for a couple days from one batch of whatever you threw in that magical little cauldron. I was breastfeeding at the time, and the original recipe called for a lot of onion. And my baby HATED when I ate onions. So, once I figured that out, I customized the recipe to my little nugget's liking as fast as I could, so we could all sleep at night ;-)

Since then, this has become a STAPLE in our house. And it's even BETTER as leftovers. OMG.

Here's what you'll need:

1- 1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
Half of a medium onion, chopped (like I mentioned above, I got away without the onion, and it was still SO yummy)
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 15oz can Red Kidney Beans
1 15oz can Black Beans
1 15oz can Pinto Beans
1 15oz can Yellow or White Corn (optional, in case of allergies)
1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning OR you can use my homemade CLEAN taco seasoning recipe***
1 cup water OR low sodium chicken broth

Here's what you do:

In a large skillet, brown your turkey meat the same way you'd prep for tacos! Once meat is brown, follow directions on packet (OR if you're using my homemade seasoning, use that to taste, and add water) let your meat simmer to soak up all the seasoning goodness. Usually while the turkey is browning, I load everything else into the crockpot. I don't drain any of my cans- just dump them right on in there! If you want to drain your cans, that's totally fine, but you'll probably want to add a little extra broth or water to your mixture. Once all of your cans are emptied, add your turkey meat to the crockpot too, and cook in the pot on HIGH for 2-4 hours OR on LOW for 4-6 hours. You really can't go wrong on cook times, but the longer those flavors have to meld together, the better ;-)

Serve with some organic corn chips, a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream if you'd prefer- tastes the same to me), and a sprinkle of some shredded cheese (ALL of these are optional), and you're ready to dive in! ENJOY!

***Homemade Taco Seasoning Ingredients