We aren’t there yet, but we will be soon, and Ann Campbell of Simpsonville is here to help.
I’m talking about that cold, rainy day a few weeks away when nothing will suit as well for lunch or dinner as a big pot of appetizingly fragrant soup.
Ann says laughingly that she is sometimes called the “soup lady” because of her last name and because she serves a lot of soup. I want you to try this one. Our daughter Lee looked at the recipe for Taco Soup and gave it an A+, saying she had made a similar recipe.
Ann and her husband Furman are members of Standing Springs Baptist Church in Simpsonville, where Russell Shinpoch is the pastor. The Campbells have been there awhile – Ann began attending when she was 7 years old; Furman, who grew up at Daventon Baptist Church, became a member when he and Ann married.
The Campbells reared two sons and two daughters. Their son David and his wife Reba have one daughter, Amy, who is married to John Haymes, and they have a son, Jacob, the Campbells’ only great-grandson. Their daughter Becky is married to Jeff Reeves, and their daughter Laura is married to Thom Robson. Daughter Emily is married to Michael Snieder; daughter Carol is married to David White, and they have a son Kyle. Their son Kenneth, who died a year ago, and his wife Kim have three children: Taylor, Carson and Braden.
With such a large family, you can see why a big pot of soup is needed!
Loyal church members, the Campbells brought up their children in church, and were active in almost every area of church events from missions to sports. Furman is a deacon and has served in many capacities, and Ann has taught Sunday school for every age from babies to adults. Now they are enjoying the senior adult activities.
Ann likes to cook and over the years has hosted cookouts, fish fries, Thanksgiving dinners and other “fun and fellowship” activities for their family. Now, though, she frequently prepares something on Saturday night that they enjoy the second time on Sunday.
I saw similar, but not identical, recipes in a couple of cookbooks. Ann suggests serving the Taco Soup with corn chips and grated cheese, and one of the others said to put the chips in the individual serving bowl, pour in the soup, then top with the grated cheese. Good! You may want to add a bit more salt to Ann’s recipe, but taste it first. I know you will enjoy this on a cold, rainy day for … Sunday Dinner.
Taco Soup
2 pounds ground beef
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, undrained
1 14-ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 10-ounce can RoTel tomatoes and chilies
1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 1½-ounce package dry Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 10½-ounce can beef broth
1 1¼-ounce package taco seasoning
1 10½-ounce can beef broth
2½ cups water
Pinch of salt
Brown meat in 6-quart Dutch oven. Drain meat. Return the drained beef to pot and add all the other ingredients. Simmer soup about 1 hour.
Serve with corn chips and grated cheddar cheese.
Note: Ann says you can add more water or tomatoes if you wish, and that using store brands of the veggies works as well as national brands.