Taco Soup

This low-FODMAP taco soup swaps onion and garlic bulbs for garlic-infused oil and a scratch spice blend, so you keep the taco flavor while holding canned lentils, corn, and tomato to tested serving sizes.

Prep 15 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 6

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup / 120 g)
• Green tops of 5 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp pure chili powder (check the label so it is chile only, with no added onion or garlic powder)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste (optional)
• 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 cup (about 190 g) canned brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed well (keeps each bowl near 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup (about 165 g) canned corn, drained and rinsed (keeps each bowl near 1/4 cup / under 38 g)
• 4 cups (1 L) low-FODMAP chicken broth or water
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Optional toppings: grated cheddar, lactose-free sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions

Brown the meat and bloom the spices

1. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off excess fat if needed.
3. Add the diced bell pepper and cook 3 minutes to soften.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne. Cook 1 minute so the spices toast and coat the meat.

Simmer on the stovetop

1. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice and the broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
2. Add the rinsed lentils and corn. Season with the salt and black pepper.
3. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the flavors meld and the soup thickens slightly.
4. Stir in most of the sliced scallion greens, taste, and adjust salt.

Or use the slow cooker

1. Brown the meat and bloom the spices as above in a skillet (this step is worth doing for flavor), then transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the tomatoes, broth, and lentils. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
3. Stir in the corn during the last 20 minutes so the kernels hold their texture.

Serve

1. Ladle into bowls and scatter the remaining scallion greens on top.
2. Finish with grated cheddar, a spoon of lactose-free sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime if you like.

Tips & Substitutions

• Skip the seasoning packet. Bottled taco seasoning almost always lists onion and garlic powder, which carry fructans. The scratch blend here gives the same warm, smoky profile without them.
• Rinse the lentils and corn. Draining and rinsing canned lentils and corn washes off some of the FODMAPs that leach into the packing liquid, and it keeps the sodium down.
• Mind the bean and corn portions. This pot serves 6, which puts each bowl near 1/4 cup of lentils and 1/4 cup of corn. If you eat a larger share or go back for seconds, the totals climb, so check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.
• Make it meat-free. Swap the ground meat for extra rinsed canned lentils or crumbled firm tofu, but recount the lentil portion per bowl so it stays within range.
• Choose the broth carefully. Most cartoned broths and stocks contain onion and garlic. Use a from-scratch low-FODMAP version or a brand you have confirmed is clear of both.
• Top wisely. Aged cheddar is naturally low in lactose, and lactose-free sour cream keeps the creamy finish. If you add avocado, keep it to about 30 g per serving.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without the fructans. Fructans are water soluble, not oil soluble, so garlic-infused oil carries the aroma into the soup while the FODMAPs stay behind in the discarded solids.
• Onion note from green tops. The green parts of scallions are low FODMAP, unlike the white bulb, so they deliver that fresh oniony lift safely.
• Beans within a tested serving. Canned lentils, drained and rinsed and kept to a small portion per bowl, give the bean texture and protein of a classic taco soup while staying in range.
• Corn and tomato kept in check. Canned corn is low FODMAP in modest amounts, and canned tomatoes are tolerated at moderate servings, so portioning across six bowls keeps both under their caps.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if it has thickened. The soup freezes well for up to 3 months; portion it into single servings so each thawed bowl keeps the same lentil and corn amounts you started with.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.