Beef and Macaroni Soup Recipe
This beef and macaroni soup is exactly what you want when you need something filling but don’t want to fuss. It’s basically a cross between pasta and soup, with plenty of ground beef to make it substantial.
The small macaroni soaks up the beefy broth while cooking, and the tomatoes give it a rich base that ties everything together. I make this most in winter, but it’s good anytime you want a one-pot meal that’ll feed a crowd or give you leftovers. The ingredients are cheap and it’s pretty forgiving – if you’re running low on carrots or want to throw in extra celery, it’ll still turn out fine. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something warm and satisfying.
What you need for Beef and Macaroni Soup
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 8 cups beef broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
How to make Beef and Macaroni Soup
1. Start by heating olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. While it’s heating, dice your onion, carrots, and celery into pieces about the size of your pinky fingernail – they should be small enough to fit on a soup spoon but not so tiny they’ll disappear.
2. Add ground beef to the hot pot. Break it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces as it cooks – you want bits about the size of a dime. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and you start seeing some brown crispy bits on the bottom of the pot, about 7-8 minutes.
3. Without removing the beef, add diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook everything together until the onions start to turn translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. You’ll notice the veggies will pick up all those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for just about 30 seconds, until you can really smell it – any longer and it might burn and taste bitter.
5. Add the tomato paste and stir it around for about a minute. It’ll coat everything and might stick to the bottom a bit – that’s good! This helps develop a deeper flavor.
6. Pour in the beef broth, diced tomatoes (juice and all), and Worcestershire sauce. Add your dried basil, oregano, and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any stuck bits – that’s pure flavor!
7. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away gently, partially covered, for about 15-20 minutes. This gives the vegetables time to soften and the flavors to meld.
8. Add the elbow macaroni and stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick together. Cook until the pasta is tender but still has a little bite, about 8-10 minutes. The pasta will continue cooking a bit even after you turn off the heat, so it’s better to err on the firmer side.
9. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Different beef broths have different salt levels, so start with a little and add more until the flavors really pop.
10. Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes before serving – this helps the broth thicken slightly and lets the pasta absorb some of those good flavors. The soup’s ready when you can see the broth has turned slightly creamy from the starch in the pasta.
Remember, if you’re planning to have leftovers, the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. You might want to add a splash more broth when reheating to bring it back to your desired consistency.
🔍 Recipe Notes & Tips
- Dice veggies the same size – about pinky-nail sized. They’ll cook evenly and fit nicely on your spoon
- Don’t skip browning the beef properly – those crispy bits are flavor gold
- Regular elbow macaroni works better than fancy pasta shapes here – they tend to break up
- Got a Dutch oven? Use it! The heavy bottom prevents scorching
- Short on time? Buy pre-chopped mirepoix (onion/carrot/celery mix) from the produce section
- No beef broth? Use better than bouillon beef base – way better than cubes
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Keep it casual with crusty bread for dunking
- Throw some grated parm and fresh parsley on top
- Makes a killer thermos lunch with saltines
- Perfect for game day – set out bowls of extra toppings like cheese and hot sauce
- Pairs great with a hoppy beer or robust red wine
- Good for crowd feeding – doubles easily, just use a bigger pot
📦 Storage & Leftovers
- Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, but pasta gets softer
- Pro tip: Store pasta separate if making ahead
- Freezes okay minus the pasta – make fresh pasta when reheating
- Will thicken up a lot in fridge – thin with broth when reheating
- Microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between
- Still tastes great as leftovers, just more like goulash than soup
- If too thick next day, add splash of broth and a tiny pat of butter when reheating
Beef and Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 8 cups beef broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Start by heating olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. While it’s heating, dice your onion, carrots, and celery into pieces about the size of your pinky fingernail – they should be small enough to fit on a soup spoon but not so tiny they’ll disappear.
- Add ground beef to the hot pot. Break it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces as it cooks – you want bits about the size of a dime. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and you start seeing some brown crispy bits on the bottom of the pot, about 7-8 minutes.
- Without removing the beef, add diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook everything together until the onions start to turn translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. You’ll notice the veggies will pick up all those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for just about 30 seconds, until you can really smell it – any longer and it might burn and taste bitter.
- Add the tomato paste and stir it around for about a minute. It’ll coat everything and might stick to the bottom a bit – that’s good! This helps develop a deeper flavor.
- Pour in the beef broth, diced tomatoes (juice and all), and Worcestershire sauce. Add your dried basil, oregano, and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any stuck bits – that’s pure flavor!
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away gently, partially covered, for about 15-20 minutes. This gives the vegetables time to soften and the flavors to meld.
- Add the elbow macaroni and stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick together. Cook until the pasta is tender but still has a little bite, about 8-10 minutes. The pasta will continue cooking a bit even after you turn off the heat, so it’s better to err on the firmer side.
- Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Different beef broths have different salt levels, so start with a little and add more until the flavors really pop.
- Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes before serving – this helps the broth thicken slightly and lets the pasta absorb some of those good flavors. The soup’s ready when you can see the broth has turned slightly creamy from the starch in the pasta.
