There is no concession stand and no microwave, just a bench
Ground beef, a can of black beans, a can of corn, a can of diced tomatoes, and a taco seasoning packet. It is on the stove in twelve minutes and it costs about eight dollars for four kids.
The soup goes into the jar while it is still moving on the stove. Cheese and crushed Fritos go into a sandwich bag, because a topping that spends three hours in hot soup is not a topping anymore.
Your kid stirs both in at the bench at 7:20 and a real bowl of soup happens on a metal bleacher in the dark.
Ingredients
The recipe fills 4 thermoses. Plan on about 30 minutes.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, for topping
How to Make It
- Brown the ground beef with the onion in a large pot over medium-high heat until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Drain off the fat.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute to bloom it.
- Add both beans, the corn, diced tomatoes, and beef broth.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook 15 minutes so the flavors come together.
- Taste and adjust the salt, then ladle the soup into the warmed thermos while fully heated.
Pack It Hot Safely
Soup is practical to pack hot when the thermos starts warm and the soup goes in fully heated.
- Fill the thermos with boiling water and let it sit 5 minutes, then empty it just before filling
- Ladle the soup into the warmed thermos while fully heated
- Check current USDA food-safety guidance before relying on a thermos for a long hold
Pack the Sides Separately
The fun toppings go soggy in the jar, so send them in their own little containers.
- Pack shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and a lime wedge on the side
- Add a spoon taped to the lid and a few napkins
- Keep sour cream in a small cooler bag if you want it
- Serve with: tortilla chips, shredded cheese
Parent Tip
This soup tastes even better made the night before; just reheat to a hard simmer before packing.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Ground turkey for a lighter pot
It drinks up the seasoning packet just as well and leaves less grease on top.
A can of mild green chiles
Adds real flavor with almost no heat, which most eight-year-olds will accept without comment.
Meatless, with a third can of beans
Pinto beans in place of the beef make a filling jar for about three dollars.
A scoop of leftover rice
Stir it in at the end and the jar goes much further for a hungry fourteen-year-old.
Sour cream in a two-ounce cup
Cold sour cream stirred in at the field cools the soup to an eatable temperature fast.
Food-Safety Source
Use current food-safety guidance for the food, container, temperature, and wait time in front of you.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: How Temperatures Affect Food
Plan the next step
Plan your thermos nights
Open the planner to line up which evenings need soup in a jar and which can wait for the kitchen.