Delicious Homemade Ground Beef Soup (Printable)
Comforting ground beef and pasta soup with vegetables, ready in 45 minutes; perfect for chilly nights.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meat
01 - 1 pound ground beef
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
07 - 1 cup frozen peas
08 - 1 cup baby spinach, optional
→ Pasta
09 - 1 cup small pasta shells or ditalini
→ Liquids
10 - 6 cups beef broth
11 - 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
→ Spices & Seasonings
12 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
15 - Salt and pepper, to taste
16 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Cheese
17 - Grated Parmesan, for serving
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until fully browned. Drain excess fat if necessary.
02 - Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery to the pot. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables soften.
03 - Stir in minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme. Sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
05 - Stir in the pasta shells. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
06 - In the final 2 to 3 minutes of simmering, add frozen peas and baby spinach if using. Continue cooking until pasta and vegetables are tender.
07 - Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- No matter how wild the weather gets, this soup delivers a coziness that's tough to beat.
- It’s endlessly flexible—half the time I make it just to use up tired veggies in the crisper.
02 -
- One batch saw my pasta nearly turn to mush—add it only when ready to watch the pot.
- It took me a few tries to add spinach at the very end so it stays a gorgeous vibrant green.
03 -
- Sweat the vegetables thoroughly before adding broth for a sweeter, richer base.
- Sear, don’t steam, the ground beef so you get deep browned flavor in the finished soup.