Southwestern "Kitchen Sink" Soup

No, it's not made in a kitchen sink.  That's a phrase I use that means you throw anything in, maybe even, the kitchen sink.  Last Saturday night, I found myself staring into the fridge and saying, OK, what now?  I didn't feel like going to the store.  It was already 5:30 pm and my hubby demands dinner be on the table at 6:50.  Why?  I have no clue.  I do miss my deadline every so often but mostly get it on the table in time.  So, while I'm looking, I find frozen ground meat, onions, garlic, limes, grated packaged Mexican cheese (low in milk fat), and chicken broth.  Hmmm, Bitchy says to herself.  It looks like a nice pot of something southwestern is in the works.  Further discoveries include canned black beans, canned kernel corn, a can of diced tomatoes, small can diced green chilies, and a package of spinach that if not used immediately, it will have to be thrown out. I drain and wash the beans and corn to cut down on the sodium. You could take the casings off of turkey or chicken sausage and switch to chicken broth.   So here's what I came up with.  Yes, it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's mainly throwing them in the pot.  And if you can go by my husband's critique, it was damned good.

I made enough to choke a horse but I would say it makes 6 servings or 4 with left overs.

1 1/2 lb low fat ground meat (or whatever you have)
2 tbs vegetable oil
2- 32 oz boxes low sodium beef broth
1 -14 3/4 oz low sodium canned black beans (or whatever beans you have.  You could use pinto beans.) Drained and washed
1-15 oz can low sodium kernel corn, drained and washed
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 small can diced green chilies, (I forget the size)
1-8oz can no salt tomato sauce
2 tbs tomato paste
1 big handful of washed spinach
2 tbs chili powder (I have medium heat)
juice from 1 lime
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro,chopped,  fresh, if you have it or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp ground cumin, if you have it
1-2 tbs adobo sauce (adds extra heat and a great smokey  flavor)
Toppings: crumbled queso fresco, chopped avocado, chopped red onion, grated Mexican cheeses, crumbled tortilla chips, heated flour tortillas on the side, chopped fresh or canned jalapenos


In a cast iron skillet heat 1 tbs oil until shimmering.  Add the meat in batches to brown.  If you are using meat with a lot of fat in it, drain in a colander.  This should be about four batches.  Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat the other tbs oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender and slightly browned, about 8 minutes or so.  To the onion/garlic mix, add the drained ground meat, beef broth, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes...oh, just add the rest of the ingredients...except for the cilantro.  Throw that in before serving.  If you don't like cilantro, leave it out. This is your kitchen sink soup, so add what you like.  But the key ingredients are the chili powder, lime, cumin, green chilies and adobo sauce.  That makes it southwestern cuisine.   Bring to a simmer and partially cover and cook 30-40 minutes for the flavors to meld.  Now taste for heat and salt.  Add as much or as little to your taste.

Serve with toppings or sides as you like.