Beans and rice taco soup is a 30 minute, one pot meal that's made with only canned and shelf-stable ingredients. This flavorful and hearty tomato soup is filled with spicy salsa, black beans, corn, rice, and taco seasoning.
When you're stuck at home and can't make it to the store, it can be difficult to come up with tasty recipes with pantry ingredients alone. You'll love my beans and rice taco soup because not only is it flavorful and spicy, but it's made with only canned and shelf-stable ingredients.
This soup is vegetarian and vegan friendly, as long as you have vegetable broth on hand. It can easily be customized with any beans, canned vegetables, and grains you have on hand.
Top your soup with a dollop of sour cream, a handful of shredded cheese, fresh chopped green onions, or enjoy as is.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Beans - Any beans will work in this recipe - I used black beans. Pinto or kidney beans would also work well. Any can around 14 to 15 ounces works just fine.
- Corn - One can of corn kernels, around 15 ounces, works well in this recipe. Canned corn can also be substituted with about 1.5 cups of frozen corn kernels. Green beans, peas, or mixed vegetables all work as substitutes.
- Tomato sauce - One 15 ounce (or similar size) can of tomato sauce is needed for this recipe. Feel free to use your own canned tomato sauce or store bought tomato sauce.
- Salsa - The salsa you use determines the amount of heat in your soup. Use a mild salsa, or half a jar of salsa if you have heat-sensitive family members. More salsa can be stirred into individual bowls for those who like a hotter soup.
- Rice - Give your rice a good rinse before adding to the soup. I used regular rice, not instant. If you only have instant rice on hand, or would like to use pasta instead, cook your soup for as long as directed according to the pasta/instant rice directions.
- Broth - Use vegetable broth to make this soup vegan. Chicken and beef broth also work well.
- Taco seasoning - Homemade taco seasoning or store bought works in this recipe.
Soup tips and tricks
Rinse your rice - Add your rice into a mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under running water before adding to your soup. This removes any excess starches from the outside, which can cause rice to turn out sticky or gummy when cooked.
Add more liquid as desired - Your soup will continue to thicken over time because the rice absorbs some of the liquid as it cooks. If you'd like a thinner soup, feel free to add more water as needed. If you have leftovers, you may need to add a splash of water when reheating.
Variations - Get creative with variations - this soup is very flexible and easy to customize with what you have on hand. Add a handful of spinach towards the end for a little added nutrition, or some leftover shredded chicken for some extra protein. Any canned beans, tomatoes, and canned or frozen vegetables can fit into this recipe with ease.
Frequently asked questions
I like to serve this soup with a wedge of crusty sourdough bread or a cheese quesadilla. Add toppings like a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips, or fresh parsley.
This soup is very flexible, so don't worry if your cans come in slightly different sizes. Different brand's can sizes vary store to store. If you can only find 14 ounce cans of corn instead of 15, that's fine. One ounce variance either way won't ruin your soup.
Leftover beans and rice soup will keep for about 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. When reheating leftovers, you may need to add a splash of water to account for the rice soaking up liquid as it sits.
Unfortunately soup that contains rice doesn't freeze and thaw well because the rice doesn't retain a great texture. I don't recommend freezing this recipe for that reason.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Beans and Rice Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked white rice, rinsed
- 15 ounces canned corn, drained
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 16 ounces salsa
- 32 ounces broth, chicken, beef, or vegetable
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 16 ounces water
Instructions
- In a pot over medium-high heat, add beans, rice, corn, tomato sauce, salsa, broth, and taco seasoning, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.
- Cook for about 20 minutes (for white rice), or until rice is cooked through. If using instant rice, pasta, or another grain, cook according to package directions. Remove lid and stir pot twice during cooking to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom.
- Remove from heat and add up to two cups of water to thin soup. Otherwise, soup will be thick, like a stew. Allow to set for 5 minutes, then serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- To make this soup vegan, use vegetable broth only.
- Beans - black, kidney, or pinto beans can be used in this recipe.
- Canned corn can be substituted with frozen corn or mixed vegetables.
- Type of salsa used will determine the heat of your soup. Use a mild salsa, or only half a jar of salsa, if you have heat-sensitive family members. Additional salsa can be added to individual bowls for those who'd like hotter soup.
- Regular rice can be substituted with instant rice or pasta if desired. Please consult package directions for cook times and adjust accordingly.
My daughter made this for lunch at the daycare where she works. Of course she had to make for a larger group but it serves a lot. It was liked by almost all the children and teachers
Am I able to use brown rice instead of white rice? Will it cook the same ?
Hoping to get an answer soon since I would love to make this tonight!
Thank you so much
Hi Laura, you can use brown rice in this recipe, but the cooking time needs to be increased. Brown rice can take up to 45 minutes to cook through. If you have package directions for your brown rice, I'd check that for accurate cooking times.
Ur so fast thank u so so much
This was great and crazy easy to put together. From start to finish it seriously took me only 25 minutes, and there's plenty of leftovers for lunches!
Can I I use a can of rotel instead of salsa?
I haven't tried it myself but I think it would work as a substitute!
Wow! This was absolutely delicious!!! Will definitely be making again
This is one of my family’s favorite meals! Easily made vegan and customizable to whatever your preferences are. Plus it comes together so quickly and easily!
I really want to try this, but I'm not able to get cans of ingredients in the sizes you're referring to, and the internet is giving me mixed messages of how much of each ingredient is needed. For example, 15 fluid ounces is supposedly just under 2 cups, but then apparently a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce is 1/4 cup. Im confused. Could you provide the measurements for the beans, tomato sauce, corn and salsa in cups rather than ounces please? Thanks so much for your help, this recipe looks delicious!
Hi Stephanie, any size cans that are close in weight to the listed ingredients will work just fine (eg: using 14 ounces of tomato sauce instead of 15 ounces). If you can only find larger cans (eg: 30 ounces of tomato sauce), I'd recommend using about half the can for simplicity. This recipe is very flexible, so an ounce or two difference in ingredients won't affect the outcome. Since I used the cans shown, I didn't measure into cups before adding to the pan, so I don't have those measurements on hand. The weight of the beans and corn also include liquid that's drained from the can, so it can be difficult to estimate how much of each ingredient is used.
I did some googling on converting weights (ounces/grams) into volume (cups) for each individual ingredient, but keep in mind that I have not tested these measurements:
14.37 ounce can of corn = ~1.5 cups of corn kernels (https://foodsguy.com/how-many-ears-of-corn/)
15 ounces tomato sauce = ~1.89 fluid cups (https://coolconversion.com/cooking-weight-volume/1~ounce~of~tomato+sauce~to~cup)
15 ounce can of beans = ~1.5 cups of cooked beans (https://www.seriouseats.com/is-there-a-ratio-for-converting-between-dried)
16 ounces salsa = ~1.75 cups (based on the serving sizes multiplied on the back of the salsa label)
Thank you SO much for this! I'm making it tomorrow and will report back 🙂
Im allergic to tomatoes, so i substituted the salsa with salsa verde, and the tomato sauce with green enchilada sauce. It was super tasty!!
Love the variation, Mary - sounds delicious!
My family love this recipe it was delicious and quick🥰
I didn't add the water as I thought it would dilute the soup too much. I added about 3 cups of corn. Also added a bit less than a litre of chicken broth as well as two large chicken breasts. Put a bit of chili powder in there as well. Recipe turned out great.
I was a bit concerned about the rice absorbing too much liquid from the soup and making it too thick so I rinsed and pre-soaked it for 20 minutes or so before throwing it into the pot after about 10 minutes of simmering.
Hi Devin, glad to hear you enjoyed the soup, sounds like you made a great variation! The water is included in the recipe because the rice cooks in the soup (1 cup of rice absorbs 2 cups of liquid as it cooks), so in that step we're adding back the liquid absorbed by the rice.
Just finished making this and it is soo good! Thank you for a fast, easy, and delicious recipe with simple ingredients. Will definitely be making this again.
Very easy recipe. I have added some additional spices as my family enjoys the heat. Add some fresh baked cornbread and it's complete!
Very easy and very tasty. I added a second can of beans but other than that followed the recipe. I will be making this again!!!
Would this work in the slow cooker? If so, for how long would you guess? Thanks.
I have not tried this in a slow cooker, but I think it would turn out just fine. From looking at other similar recipes, I'd guess it would take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours on low (or until the rice is cooked through).
Super easy soup. I needed a meatless soup and this fits the bill. Just dump in the cans and heat!
This turned out great! I made it Vegan, with veggie broth so instead of adding water, I just added a bit more veg broth. I also added a few spoons of cumin and a small amount of chopped Jalapeños, and stirred in some fresh, chopped cilantro at the end. Loved the recipe...loved the no- chopping!
It was delish! Thank you for a recipe with simple pantry staples.
Yum! This looks delicious, I love the simplicity of it! Even more, I love that it’s vegan! (12 years👌🏻) Not too big on rice so I think I may try quinoa... perhaps lentils? cauliflower rice? More beans? So many possibilities.
This turned out so good! Made it with hot salsa, we like spicy food. Topped it with sour cream, cheese, and crispy jalapenos. So easy to make and all in one pan. Will definitely make it again soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!