Quick and Light Beef Enchilada Soup

This soup is really easy to throw together on a cold day like we’ve been having lately!

Like a lot of my recipes, it is easy to customize based on your preferences. Feel free to adjust the amount of spices, as well as cheese, to suit your taste. I like to use Instant Masa Corn Flour to thicken it, it makes the soup thick and luscious without the need to put a lot of cheese, which makes this soup perfect for my “Healthy Living” lifestyle.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 15 oz. cans of enchilada sauce
• 4 cups water or beef broth
• 2 tbsp Instant Corn Masa Flour (sold in a Bakery Aisle of most supermarkets. Can substitute a handful of tortilla chips/torn corn tortillas)
• 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, use more or less if you like.
• 1 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, cumin, marjoram (or 2 t taco seasoning, omit salt)
• 1 tsp salt (optional)

Method:

1. Brown the onion on medium high heat.

2. Crumble ground beef in the pot and cook for about 5 minutes until no longer pink.

3. Add the enchilada sauce, water or broth.

Add your spices at this point too.

4. Now mix the Masa flour with 4 Tbsp water (about twice the amount of water to masa ratio).

Mix it into the soup.

See how the soup instantly thickened. Smells great at this point!

5. To finish the soup, add cheese, stir and let it sit a couple minutes for the cheese to melt.

Enjoy!

“Healthy Living” Notes*:

– Mind the portion size while serving this soup: it is a lighter version since it doesn’t contain corn chips, which are typically fried. I recommend keeping portions to 1 1/2 cups, and eating a side salad for a complete meal.

– Resist the temptation to pile corn chips and shredded cheese while serving. Garnish with cilantro, some lime juice, pickled or fresh (chopped) jalapeno, a slice of avocado and light sour cream instead. You will not miss the calories!

*“Healthy Living” notes are tips that are tied to the section of my blog where I write about everything that goes into losing extra weight and staying fit and healthy– based on my personal experience.