Beef Tortilla Soup

By Becky Hardin

Published Oct 14, 2023

Beef tortilla soup with tortilla chips cooked in a crockpot. - 4

Beef Tortilla Soup is such an easy and delicious comfort food! Loaded with spices, beans, corn, tomatoes, and everything you’d expect from the perfect tortilla soup, but with ground beef instead of chicken. Top with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and all the fixings for the ultimate Mexican beef soup!

A bowl of beef tortilla soup topped with sour cream and tortilla chips. - 5

What’s in this Beef Tortilla Soup recipe?

If you love chicken tortilla soup , you’re going to love this tortilla soup with beef too! It’s filled with the same Mexican flavors, but I added ground beef instead of chicken. It’s just as delicious and just as easy to make.

Ground Beef: Ground chuck or hamburger meat both work for this delicious Mexican soup recipe!
Rotel: This mix of tomatoes and green chiles adds the perfect sweet and smoky Tex-Mex flavor to the soup.
Broth: I used both beef and chicken broth , but you can use one or the other for the full amount if you prefer.
Butter: Helps cooks the onion and garlic.
Onion: Diced onions add savory aromatic flavor. I recommend using white or yellow, but you can sub red onions if you like them better.
Garlic: A few cloves of garlic adds more depth of flavor.
Tomato Juice: This is a tomato-based soup, so this helps fill out the liquid.
Water: A little more liquid to fill out the broth.
Oil: Helps to cook the onions and garlic. Olive oil or canola oil work best for sauteing.
Worcestershire Sauce: Adds deep umami flavor to the soup.
Steak Sauce: Use your favorite brand.
Beans: A mix of red and black beans add texture. Feel free to use all black or red instead of both.
Corn: Kernels of corn add more texture plus a slightly sweet and buttery flavor.
Lime: Adds acidity to balance the flavors and adds a bright splash.
Spices : Chili powder and cumin add just a bit of heat. Add more if you want your soup a little spicier.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Don’t forget to finish each bowl of soup with tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips (or keep them whole), sour cream, avocado slices, shredded cheese, or any other toppings you like!

Variations on Tortilla Beef Soup

If you have some shredded beef (fully cooked), you can throw that into the pot with the rest of the tortilla soup ingredients and cook as directed. You can make this beef birria or barbacoa beef ahead of time for extra delicious flavor!

A person stirring a pot of Mexican beef soup with a wooden spoon. - 6

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ 2 lbs lean ground chuck browned and drained of grease
▢ 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (¼ stick)
▢ 1 onion diced
▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
▢ 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes or generic (1 can)
▢ 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
▢ 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
▢ 1 cups water
▢ 3 cups tomato juice
▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
▢ 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
▢ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon bottled steak sauce such as A1
▢ 15 ounces canned black beans drained (1 can)
▢ 15 ounces canned red beans drained (1 can)
▢ 15.25 ounces canned whole kernel corn (1 can)
▢ ½ lime juiced
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings

▢ Tortilla chips
▢ Shredded cheese Mexican blend, Cheddar or your favorite
▢ Sour Cream optional
▢ Avocado slices optional

Video

Instructions

Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pan. 2 tablespoons canola oil, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook and additional 30 seconds. 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
Add all soup ingredients (including the browned ground chuck, but not the cilantro, chips, cheese, or toppings). 2 lbs lean ground chuck, 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes, 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cups water, 3 cups tomato juice, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1½ teaspoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon bottled steak sauce, 15 ounces canned black beans, 15 ounces canned red beans, 15.25 ounces canned whole kernel corn, ½ lime
Cover the pot, bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 45-60 minutes.
Add freshly chopped cilantro and stir well. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Pour soup into heatproof bowls and top with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Serve immediately. Tortilla chips, Shredded cheese
If desired, garnish with avocado slices and/or sour cream. Sour Cream, Avocado slices
Enjoy!

Becky’s Tips

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Serving Suggestions

Serve bowls of this Mexican beef soup with all of your favorite toppings. Add fresh tortillas or flat breads to the table for dipping. It makes a great pairing with ground beef tacos , beef taquitos , or beef enchiladas . And it never hurts to have some chips and guacamole or queso nearby!

How to Make Beef Tortilla Soup Step by Step

Heat the Fats: Heat 2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pan.

A black pot filled with oil on a table. - 7

Sauté the Onion and Garlic: Add 1 chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.

Add the Ingredients: Add 2 pounds of lean ground chuck, 10 ounces (1 can) of Rotel tomatoes, 2 cups of beef broth, 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of water, 3 cups of tomato juice, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1½ teaspoons of ground cumin, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon of bottled steak sauce, 15 ounces (1 can) of drained black beans, 15 ounces (1 can) of drained red beans, 15.25 ounces (1 can) of whole kernel corn, and the juice of ½ fresh lime.

A person stirring a pot of soup with a wooden spoon. - 9

Simmer and Serve: Cover the pot, bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 45-60 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro and stir well. Pour soup into heatproof bowls and top with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Serve immediately. If desired, garnish with avocado slices and/or sour cream.

A pot of beef tortilla soup with beans and corn in it. - 10

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover beef tortilla soup in airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop, simmering and stirring until fully warmed through. Or reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until warm.

How to Freeze

To freeze soup : Let the beef tortilla soup cool to room temperature, then pour it into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months, and defrost in the fridge before reheating.

If you’d like to store it in bags, pour cooled soup into heavy-duty resealable bags and lay flat on a rimmed baking tray. Place it in the freezer for 1-2 hours until solid, then rearrange the bags to freeze long-term.

A bowl of tortilla soup with ground beef, cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream. - 11

Tortilla soup (sopa de tortilla) is a Mexican soup with a tomato base, chiles, spices, and more. It’s named for the tortilla strips served on top (the more the better), and is typically served with toppings of cheese, avocado, and sour cream. It’s often made with chicken, but here I made it with beef instead.

Let the soup simmer for 45-60 minutes, until warmed through. Letting it cook a little longer will thicken the consistency slightly.

To increase the heat, add a couple more teaspoons of chili powder, and/or add a pinch of cayenne pepper. You could also mix in a small amount of taco sauce or hot sauce to taste.

More Soup Recipes To Try

Chicken Soup
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Hash Brown Potato Soup
Beer Cheese Soup
Ham and Bean Soup
Cabbage Soup

Beef Tortilla Soup