Optavia Low Carb Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Taco Soup ~ Lean & Green

This delicious soup is so simple to make~
it smells and tastes like beef tacos!  🌮

Ingredients:

2 pounds 93% lean ground beef

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese

2 (10 ounce) cans Rotel*

1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning**

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Garnishes:

1 cup chopped butterleaf or romaine lettuce

1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar or mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Method:

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.

While the meat is browning, add the cream cheese, Rotel and seasoning to the slow cooker pot.

Transfer the cooked meat to a collander of seive to drain away the grease. Add to the pot. Stir to mix. Pour in the broth and stir. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or 2 hours on high. 

Thirty minutes before the soup finishes cooking, stir in the yogurt and 1/2 cup of cilantro. Cover and continue cooking. Makes 10 cups. Six (1 2/3 cup) servings. Garnish each serving with 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chopped lettuce, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon shredded cheese and 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro.

*I used the fire roasted Rotel.

**Homemade Taco Seasoning is very simple to make and doesn't contain the chemical ingredients and cornstarch that storebought seasoning contains.

Homemade Low Carb Taco Seasoning:

2 teaspoons instant minced onion            1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt                                                1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon chili powder                                 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper (optional ~ if you don't like extra spice or heat, you can omit this ingredient)

Combine in a small bowl. Save unused seasoning in an airtight container. (The recipe may be doubled, tripled, etc.

Each 1 2/3 cup serving with garnish equals: 1 lean, 1 green & 3 condiments

Nutritional info per serving, approximately: 313.4 calories ~ 15.8 grams fat ~ 13.4 grams carbs ~ 8.4 grams fiber ~ 5 grams net carbs ~ 57.7 grams protein

Note: My husband and I both loved this soup! (The original recipe was from Optavia. This is my version with a few small changes.)