Beyond Beef® Ground...Featuring Beyond Beef Enchilada Soup #comfortfood #pantrycooking #eatathome #healthyanddelish

I know the world seems a bit upside down these days! We're spending some time with our parents in the Houston area as the coronavirus pandemic continues. While we're all inside social distancing, it's a perfect time to cook comforting meals for our loved ones. Over the weekend, I made this meatless Beyond Beef Enchilada Soup. It's delicious and filling...and it freezes well too! Not a vegetarian? No problem! Simply use a pound of ground beef or ground turkey in place of the Beyond Beef® Plant Based Ground I use in the recipe.

Because of some underlying medical issues stemming from my 2017 stroke, I'm practicing a lot of social distancing these days...which means I'm spending even more time in the kitchen than usual. We've been craving comforting dishes that are easy to make using items stocked in our pantry and freezer. The recipe I'm sharing today is a hearty, spicy soup that features Beyond Meat® Plant-Based Ground -- which crumbles and browns just like ground beef. I'm doing the best I can to stick to our 2020 healthy eating goals during this time of social distancing. It gives me a bit of control in a world that seems to be getting more out-of-control every day. 

Beyond Meat® Plant-Based Ground provides a whopping 20 grams of plant-based protein per serving...and it contains no soy, gluten, or GMOs. It's a perfect base for my flavorful Beyond Beef Enchilada Soup! This Tex-Mex soup is mildly spicy and full of healthy vegetables. Eating healthy is a key component to keeping our immune systems strong. The fact that this soup is also super delicious makes it a win-win for dinner! As an added bonus, it's super easy to make a double batch of this soup to freeze some for dinner down the road. 

Beyond Beef Enchilada Soup

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

• 16-ounce package Beyond Meat® Plant-Based Ground
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated 
• 1 tbs. taco seasoning
• 32 oz. vegetable stock
• 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes -- do NOT drain
• 1/2 cup jarred salsa con queso [NOTE: I used Pace]
• Salt & pepper to taste

For garnishing:

• 3 corn tortillas
• Spray olive oil
• Garlic salt
• 1 large avocado, diced

Directions:

Step 1: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and just starting to brown. Add the Beyond Meat® Plant-Based Ground and brown, breaking up into crumbles as it cooks. Stir in the taco seasoning.

Step 2: Add the vegetable stock, enchilada sauce, salsa con queso, tomatoes, corn, and black beans to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine all of the ingredients. Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 3: While the soup simmers, prep the garnishes. Preheat oven to 400℉. Cut the corn tortillas into strips and place on a sheet pan. Spritz with olive oil spray, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with garlic salt and toss once again to coat. Bake the tortilla strips until crispy and just starting to brown -- about 7 minutes. Toss the strips on the baking pan halfway through cooking time for even crisping. After the tortilla strips are finished, peel and dice the avocado.

Step 4: To serve, ladle the cooked soup into a deep bowl. Place a small mound of tortilla strips in the center of the soup. Spoon some of the avocado on top of the tortilla strips and serve immediately.

This soup is so delicious, and the enchilada flavor is spot on! The spice level here is between mild and medium...so serve some sliced jalapenos and/or hot sauce on the side for those who prefer a bit more heat. The Beyond Meat® Plant-Based Ground has the texture of ground beef, and the flavor is great. If I didn't know I had used a plant-based meat substitute in this recipe? I'd never know from tasting this soup. I hope you'll give this soup a try soon. It's pure comfort in a bowl!

Disclosure: Beyond Meat® provided me with samples of their plant-based meat products to facilitate recipe development for this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.