Taco soup as good as remembered

Oct. 27—I've gotten a lot of recipes for taco soup recently, and they got me thinking about one my college roommate used to make that started with onions and bell peppers.

»COOK OF THE WEEK: Self-taught cook in Brewer not afraid to make recipes her own

I went poking around some recipe sites over the weekend, and searched until I found one that sounded like the one from the early '80s. Of course, in those days, there was no such thing as ground turkey in the store, so I'm sure we used ground beef.

I made this Monday, and it was as good as I remembered. The heat was just right for my husband, Charlie, and me, but you could make it spicier by using hot Ro-tel and salsa. The recipe also called for a can of pinto or white beans, but those aren't my favorite, so I left them out, and I still think this turned out just fine.

We served it with tortilla chips, but cornbread muffins would have been even better.

BEST TACO SOUP

1 pound ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-) ounce can whole kernel corn

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 can Ro-tel tomatoes

1/4 cup mild salsa

Sour cream, cheese, avocado and tortilla chips, for serving

Brown ground turkey in a Dutch oven over medium-heat. Add onion and bell peppers and saute until soft.

Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Let simmer at least 40 minutes, stirring occasionally (longer is better). Add add 1/2 to 1 cup water if it gets too thick.

Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheese and fresh avocado. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 8.