Keto Mexican Soup With Tortillas & Tacos (So Good It Tastes High Carb)

This keto Mexican soup with tortillas and tacos is so good, it literally taste high carb due to the flavoring, vegetable additives, and overall constancy.¹

Whether you want to cook it on a stove top, slow roast it, or even have in instant pot, we have you covered on the ingredients, an easy to follow step-by-step guide, the nutritional information, and how to store large servings so you or your family can eaten on it for days-months to come.

How To Make Keto-Friendly Mexican Soup at Home

A keto diet consists of low-carb and high fat. A person following this meal plan will typically eat between 20 and 50 grams of carbs per day.² Keeping that in mind, one can typically make most of their favorite meals keto-friendly with some adjustments.

Mexican soups like taco soup and enchilada soup have typical staple items such as black beans, kidney beans, and corn. These are all high in carbs and may not fit into a keto plan because of that so we have found some easy substitutes to make a keto-approved Mexican soup that is so good it tastes high carb and one won’t even miss those staple items!

Not only will this recipe be easy to follow, but there are also many different ways to cook the soup from the crock pot to the instant pot to the stovetop. It’s a very versatile and easy-to-follow recipe making it a great option for a quick weeknight meal.

Keto-Friendly Tacos and Tortillas with Keto Mexican Soup

One may want to enjoy tacos and tortillas alongside their low-carb Mexican soup, but typically these are a no-go for the keto diet because of their higher carbohydrate content. But, as more low-carb diets are gaining popularity, many brands have made low-carb options that are just as tasty and that will fit into a keto eating plan.

Source: CCat82 via Canva.com³

There are even some tortillas that have zero net carbs that may be a great option to pair with the soup. For a quick and tasty keto-friendly taco one could make one ingredient taco shells made of cheddar cheese.

1. Add ¼ cup of cheddar cheese onto a lined baking sheet, and shape into a 6-8 inch circle.
2. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and golden brown.

Let the melted cheese slightly cool, then use a spatula to place the cheese shells onto a greased rolling pin or glass jar to let them cool into a taco shell shape.

Ingredient & Shopping List for Low-Carb Mexican Soup

Here is a list of ingredients and a shopping list to make keto-approved Mexican soup. There are optional ingredients and add-ons and certainly, most of the ingredients can be adjusted to fit personal preference.

Not only is this soup easy to make, but it’s also very customizable and feeds six:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ medium diced white onion
• ½ cup diced bell peppers (mix of red and green pepper)
• ¼ cup diced jalapeño (optional)
• 5 cups of low-sodium broth of choice (vegetable, chicken, beef)
• 1 14.5oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes or original Rotel
• 1 pound of protein of choice (will be about 3-4 chicken breasts)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon chili powder

Optional Add-Ons

For a creamy version of this Mexican soup, add:

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• If cream cheese is added cut the chicken broth down to 3 cups instead of 5

When cooking on the stovetop, add the cream cheese while the soup is simmering.

For a creamy and cheesy version:

• Add 1 pound of Velveeta cheese

Please keep in mind this creamy and cheesy version has higher levels of carbs and sodium. When cooking on the stovetop, add the Velveeta cheese while the soup is simmering. To make melting easier, cut the cheese into 1-inch cubes.

For ease, instead of using separate seasonings use 1 packet of taco seasoning. The chicken can be swapped out for beef, pork, turkey, tofu, etc. For a hearty and tasty meatless option replace the meat protein with 1 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu.

Quick instructions to cook tofu:

• Drain, rinse and pat the tofu dry
• Cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubs
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the tofu in a single layer.
• Cook over medium heat until the tofu begins to brown which will take about 6-8 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Add the cooked tofu to soup and simmer.

Some optional toppings include:

• Keto-friendly tortillas such as Mission Carb Balance Tortillas
• Shredded cheese of choice
• Sliced avocado
• Sour cream
• Fresh Cilantro
• Lime juice

Step-by-Step Instructions (Simple Guide)

1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Cook until the veggies have softened and the onion has become translucent which will take about 3-5 minutes (pro tip: to prevent burning and to enhance the garlic flavor, add the garlic towards the end of the 5 minutes).

If using ground meat, remove the veggies from the dutch oven and place them on a plate, add the protein to the dutch oven and cook on medium heat until completely cooked. Then add the onion, garlic, and bell peppers back to the pot. If using chicken, it will be added in the next step.

1. Add the diced jalapeño (optional), broth of choice, fire-roasted tomatoes or Rotel, chicken, and remaining spices. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low once boiling and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you’re preparing the creamy version of this low-carb Mexican soup, add the cream cheese or Velveeta cheese during this step.

If using chicken, remove chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Return the chicken back to the pot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

1. Add toppings of choice and enjoy!

A Word on Various Cooking Methods

There are various methods to prepare a low-carb Mexican soup. Using a slow cooker can be a great option for a completely hands-off experience but will take significantly longer. Furthermore, using the Instant Pot will also be hands-off and much quicker than using a crock pot.

1. Slow Cooker & Crockpot Instructions: Add all ingredients into the crock pot and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. If using chicken, shred the chicken breast at the end of the cooking time and then add it back into the pot. If adding cream cheese or Velveeta cheese add those at the beginning of the cooking time with all of the other ingredients.
2. Instant Pot Instructions: Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function. Sauté onions, garlic, jalapeño (if using), and bell peppers in olive oil. Add broth, cream cheese or Velveeta cheese (if using), canned tomatoes, protein of choice, and all of the seasonings. Stir everything and then set Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 14 minutes. Manually let the pressure out. If using chicken, take it out and shred then return to the pot.

Carb Content in Keto-friendly Mexican Soup

Traditional Mexican soup can have upwards of 40 grams of carbohydrates per serving! This keto-friendly Mexican soup has only 5.65 carbs per serving size and the creamy version with cream cheese has 7.8 carbs.

It is important to keep in mind that the creamy and cheesy version of this soup with Velveeta cheese is higher in carbs at 13.7 grams per serving so the dieter should always choose which recipe fits best into their personal diet plan.

The low carb content of the keto Mexican soup and creamy cream cheese version make this a great option for those on the keto diet to enjoy a favorite, warm comforting soup while keeping their diet plan in mind. If you’re looking for other low carb Mexican dish, you may want to check out these 3 keto Mexican casserole recipes.

Additionally, while on the keto diet, it can be really helpful to keep track of your food with a food log on one of the many different free apps available such as Lose it and My Fitness Pal. The recipe above makes 6 servings and with only 5.65 carbs per serving size, one can indulge in more if desired.

Keto Mexican Soup Nutritional Information

A study has shown that there is a relationship between self-reported nutritional factors and weight loss so remaining mindful of nutrition information can have a lot of benefits when weight loss is the goal.⁴

Source: EzumeImages via Canva.com⁵

Below is a breakdown of the nutritional information for the keto-approved Mexican soup.

There is a separate breakdown for each type of protein as well as another section for the creamy version made with cream cheese and Velveeta cheese.

Each breakdown shows the nutritional information for 1 serving size for any given meat and the recipe above makes 6 servings:

Chicken:

• Calories: 198
• Carbs: 5.65 g
• Net Carbs: 4.68 g
• Fat: 6.57 g
• Protein: 29.3 g
• Sodium: 660 mg

Ground Pork:

• Calories: 290
• Carbs: 5.65
• Net Carbs: 4.68 g
• Fat: 19.7 g
• Protein: 24 g
• Sodium: 656 mg

Ground Turkey:

• Calories: 260
• Carbs: 5.65
• Net Carbs: 4.68 g
• Fat: 17 g
• Protein: 23 g
• Sodium: 665 mg

Ground Beef:

• Calories: 272
• Carbs: 5.65
• Net Carbs: 4.68 g
• Fat: 17 g
• Protein: 25 g
• Sodium: 670 mg

Tofu:

• Calories: 138
• Carbs: 8 g
• Net Carbs: 6.25 g
• Fat: 7.3 g
• Protein: 11.8 g
• Sodium: 605 mg

Creamy version (with cream cheese added)

Chicken:

• Calories: 334
• Carbs: 7.8 g
• Net Carbs: 6.84 g
• Fat: 19.9 g
• Protein: 31.7 g
• Sodium: 782 mg

Ground Pork:

• Calories: 426
• Carbs: 7.8 g
• Net Carbs: 6.84 g
• Fat: 33 g
• Protein: 26.5 g
• Sodium: 778 mg

Ground Turkey:

• Calories: 397
• Carbs: 7.8 g
• Net Carbs: 6.84 g
• Fat: 30.4 g
• Protein: 25.7 g
• Sodium: 787 mg

Ground Beef:

• Calories: 408
• Carbs: 7.8 g
• Net Carbs: 6.84 g
• Fat: 30.4 g
• Protein: 27.7 g
• Sodium: 791 mg

Tofu:

• Calories: 274
• Carbs: 10.15
• Net Carbs: 8.38 g
• Fat: 20.6 g
• Protein: 14.15 g
• Sodium: 727 mg

Creamy and cheesy version (with Velveeta cheese added)

Chicken:

• Calories: 385
• Carbs: 13.7 g
• Net Carbs: 12.73 g
• Fat: 17.2 g
• Protein: 40 g
• Sodium: 1700 mg

Ground Pork:

• Calories: 477
• Carbs: 13.7 g
• Net Carbs: 12.7 g
• Fat: 30.4 g
• Protein: 34.8 g
• Sodium: 1696 mg

Ground Turkey:

• Calories: 448
• Carbs: 13.7 g
• Net Carbs: 12.7 g
• Fat: 27.7 g
• Protein: 34 g
• Sodium: 1705 mg

Ground Beef:

• Calories: 458
• Carbs: 13.7 g
• Net Carbs: 12.7 g
• Fat: 27.7 g
• Protein: 36 g
• Sodium: 1710 mg

Tofu:

• Calories: 324
• Carbs: 16 g
• Net Carbs: 12.2 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Protein: 22.4 g
• Sodium: 1645 mg

Storage Best Practices to Ensure the Soup Doesn’t Go Bad

There are several methods to store leftovers of the low-carb Mexican soup to ensure it stays fresh.

• Refrigerator: The keto-approved Mexican soup can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days and then reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop to enjoy again. Additionally, it is essential to note that it is recommended not to leave food out for more than 2 hours before placing it into the refrigerator.⁶
• Freezer: Leftovers from this low-carb Mexican soup can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. Research has shown that freezing and thawing foods could impair quality so to ensure the best quality discard leftovers after 3 months. Additionally, be sure to thaw the soup before reheating it.⁷

When embarking on a keto diet, it’s possible to enjoy familiar, favorite recipes with a few adjustments. Remaining mindful of what should be limited while on the keto diet will allow one to savor keto Mexican soup and eat at a Mexican food restaurant all while keeping to the diet plan!

Frequently Asked Questions