Easy Weeknight Dinner: Cowboy Soup

Whether you've been out roping cattle all day or herding small humans like I do, coming up with a decent meal at the end of the day can be tough...especially when the cattle kids and husband are getting hungry and cranky and whiney and really annoying and you just want them all to go to bed so you can watch The Bachelor.

My Aunt Linda gave me a recipe for Cowboy Soup several years ago. I'm not sure why it's called "Cowboy Soup," but since she lives in Texas and Texans know everything there is to know about cowboys (right?!), I decided to go with it.

I love the simplicity of this recipe! I haven't found an easier "throw-it-together" meal in awhile.

Ingredients:

(Wow, so I bet you can't tell I bought the ingredients at Wal-Mart, can you?!)

• 1 can red beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can ranch style beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 can hominy
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can rotel tomatoes
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
• 1 pound ground beef

(Note: Sometimes I have a hard time finding ranch style beans. I also couldn't find rotel or stewed tomatoes. That WM stinks. I improvise with this soup and use whatever I think might taste good.)

Instructions:
Brown the ground beef. Drain and add all the ingredients to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until cooked through. (15 to 20 minutes)

{Warning: bad photo. That's what happens when you photograph your food at 8 pm}

I like to sprinkle some cheddar cheese on my soup after dishing it out. Served with a side of warm cornbread, this is a great cold weather meal!

*Come and join Soup-a-Palooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish, sponsored by Bush's Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury, and Westminster Crackers.  Also linked to Tasty Tuesday.