If you need a big, hearty soup that can stretch into more than one meal, this one gets the job done. Cheesy South of the Border Soup is loaded with seasoned meat, beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and plenty of Velveeta for a thick, creamy finish that eats like a full supper, not a sad little starter.
Serve it with cornbread, scoop it up with tortilla chips, spoon it over rice, or drain it and tuck it into tacos. It also freezes beautifully, which is handy because a batch this size is not exactly shy.
Ingredients for Cheesy South of the Border Soup
- 3 medium onions, diced
- 2 sweet peppers, diced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds ground meat such as beef, chicken, or turkey
- 2 pounds Velveeta, cubed
- 4 cans corn, undrained
- 4 cans kidney beans, undrained
- 2 cans tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 4 cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
- 1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded, deveined, and diced (optional)
- 7 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix or 3 envelopes taco seasoning
You can swap the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken if that is what you have on hand. Keep the cheese, beans, corn, and tomatoes as written if you want the same thick, scoopable texture this soup is known for.
How to Make Cheesy South of the Border Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onions and sweet peppers and cook until they soften.
- Add the ground meat and cook until it is no longer pink. Drain well.
- Transfer the cooked onion, peppers, and meat to a large pot.
- Add the Velveeta, corn, kidney beans, tomatoes with green chilies, stewed tomatoes, jalapenos if using, and taco seasoning. Stir well.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the cheese melts, the soup thickens, and everything is heated through.
- Let the soup cool completely, stirring occasionally so it cools evenly.
- Ladle it into freezer containers, leaving headspace for expansion. Freeze or refrigerate as needed.
Slow cooker: Cook on low 4 to 5 hours or on high 2 to 3 hours.
Tabletop roaster: Cook at 350 degrees for 2 to 4 hours or at 450 degrees for 1 to 2 hours.
Tips for the Best Soup
- Drain the meat well. That keeps the finished soup rich and cheesy instead of greasy.
- Use medium-low heat once the cheese goes in. Velveeta melts smoothly, but high heat can still make the bottom scorch if you wander off.
- Stir often as it simmers. This is a thick soup, so it needs a little attention.
- Dice the vegetables fairly small. Smaller pieces cook faster and make the soup easier to scoop into tacos or over rice.
- Want a shortcut? If you already have Instant Cheesy Soup Mix on hand for another meal, make that later in the week and call it meal planning instead of leftovers.
Serving Ideas for This Soup
This soup does more than sit politely in a bowl. Try it one of these ways:
- Serve it with cornbread, crackers, or warm buttered toast.
- Top bowls with crushed tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.
- Drain a spoonful well and use it as a taco or burrito filling with extra shredded cheese.
- Spoon it over Spanish rice for a fast skillet-style supper.
- Pair it with a second soup night favorite like Easy Taco Soup if you are building a freezer-cooking weekend.
Storage and Freezing
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow, airtight containers and use them within 3 to 4 days. For best safety and quality, cool the soup and get it into the refrigerator within 2 hours. The USDA recommends using refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days, which is the safest guide to follow here.
For freezing, let the soup cool completely, portion it into sturdy freezer containers, and leave a little room for expansion. A conservative freezer storage estimate for best quality is up to 3 months, though it may remain safe longer if kept continuously frozen. Reheat slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring often so the cheese blends back in smoothly.
This soup is a good freezer candidate, but it is not a safe choice for home canning in its finished form because it contains cheese. If you want to preserve it for later, freezing is the smart option.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Cheesy South of the Border Soup
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Yellow Onions, 3 lb bag
- Sweet Bell Peppers, 3 count
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz
- Ground Beef, 3 lb roll
- Velveeta Cheese Product, 32 oz block
- Whole Kernel Corn, 15.25 oz can
- Dark Red Kidney Beans, 15.5 oz can
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, 10 oz can
- Stewed Tomatoes, 14.5 oz can
- Fresh Jalapenos, 1 each
- Taco Seasoning Mix, 1 oz packet
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cheesy South of the Border Soup
Absolutely. Ground turkey or chicken both work well here because the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and cheese carry plenty of flavor. If you switch to a leaner meat, make sure you do not overcook it in the skillet or it can turn a little dry before it ever reaches the soup pot.
It lands in the mild to medium range as written, mostly depending on your taco seasoning and whether you add the jalapenos. If you are feeding heat-sensitive eaters, skip the jalapenos and use the smaller amount of seasoning first, then adjust after the cheese melts.
You can, but expect a different texture. Velveeta melts into a smooth, creamy base that stays nicely blended, while shredded cheddar can separate or go grainy if the heat gets too high, so keep the burner low and add it gradually if you make that swap.
That usually happens after a longer simmer or after the soup has been chilled. Stir in a little broth or milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, while reheating until it loosens to the consistency you want instead of dumping in a big splash and chasing the texture back the other way.
Yes, but brown the meat and soften the onions and peppers first. That step builds flavor and lets you drain the fat before everything goes into the slow cooker, then cook it on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.
Cornbread, crackers, or tortilla chips are the easy answer, but this soup also works over rice or spooned into taco shells. If you want to stretch it for a crowd, set out toppings like salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese so everyone can fix their own bowl.
Use medium-low heat and stir often once the Velveeta goes in. This is a thick soup with a lot of dairy and solids, so a heavy pot and a little patience will save you from that scorched-bottom flavor that no amount of taco seasoning can hide.
That is actually the smartest way to do it. Freeze meal-size or single-serve portions in rigid containers, leave a bit of headspace for expansion, and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating so the texture comes back more evenly.
Yes, black beans are a perfectly workable swap if that is what you have. The flavor shifts slightly more Tex-Mex than classic chili-style, but the soup will still be hearty and the bean-for-bean swap keeps the texture close enough that nobody will file a complaint.
Thaw it completely first, then reheat it slowly over low heat or at medium power in the microwave, stirring often. Gentle heat matters here because fast boiling can make the cheese look oily instead of smooth.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly Cheesy South of the Border Soup
Cheesy South of the Border Soup
Ingredients
- 3 medium onions diced
- 2 sweet peppers diced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds ground meat such as beef chicken, or turkey
- 2 pounds Velveeta cubed
- 4 cans corn undrained
- 4 cans kidney beans undrained
- 2 cans tomatoes with green chilies undrained
- 4 cans stewed tomatoes undrained
- 1 to 2 jalapenos seeded, deveined, and diced (optional)
- 7 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix or 3 envelopes taco seasoning
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the diced onions and sweet peppers until softened.
- Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink; drain well.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables and meat to a large pot.
- Add the Velveeta, corn, kidney beans, tomatoes with green chilies, stewed tomatoes, jalapenos if using, and taco seasoning; stir well.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 30 minutes to 1 hour until thickened and heated through.
- Let the soup cool completely, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle into freezer containers, leaving room for expansion, and freeze if desired.
- To serve from frozen, thaw completely and reheat slowly, stirring often.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Cook on low in a slow cooker for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours.
Cook in a tabletop roaster at 350 degrees for 2 to 4 hours or at 450 degrees for 1 to 2 hours.
Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 to 4 days.
For best freezer quality, use within 3 months.
This soup is not recommended for home canning in its finished form because it contains cheese.
this looks amazing…always on the lookout for recipes that could be done on the stovetop or slow cooker. doing this in the tabletop roaster would be great for a shower or potluck.
You are so right karaokequeen! I make it in my tabletop roaster when I am going to can it.
you might want to check the processing time for canning this soup with the meat and the beans you should be processing for 90 minutes not 30. When canning you need to check the times and go by the ingredient that is processed for the most time. 🙂
this has become a favorite in my house. there are six of us and this meal is more than enough, with lots of leftovers! delicious!