Try something new your way (Toco Soup)

A while back at work my husband tried a coworkers taco soup and he liked it so much he asked for the recipe. I love to cook new things and normally, when cooking something new for the first time, I stick solely by the instructions provided. Last night I went ahead and made the soup my way and it was a huge hit. ................................................................................................................................ The normal recipe is as followed: ................................................................................................................................ 2lbs ground beef(can substitute black beans), ................................................................................................................................ 2 packs of taco seasoning, ................................................................................................................................ 2 packs of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans drained Shopeg corn, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans tomatoes, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans kidney beans (1 light 1 dark), ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans pinto beans, ................................................................................................................................ Now the adjustments I made to this is that I don't cook anything out of a can, so I used 1 cup of dry pinto, kidney (dark) and black beans. I also added green and yellow peppers and onions. I added everything together and let it simmer for about 3 and a half hours. I served it with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. It was a huge hit and I have been asked to keep making it. This was easy to make and it only cost me about 8 dollars to make. Not using the canned foods saved me a lot of sodium intake and money. Also I made a huge stew pot full and there is enough leftovers for a few days worth of lunches. Next time I will add rice.