This Beefy Tomato Soup is our most popular soup recipes! This comforting soup is loaded with beef and pasta simmered in a tomato cream broth!
If you like making soup as much as we do, try ourCopycat Campbells’ Tomato Soup! Or if you’re looking for a low carb soup, then try thisPork Egg Roll Soup or our Low Carb Sausage Vegetable Soup!
An Easy Soup Recipe That’s Done In 30 Minutes!
Because I like to try and use what we have in the house, I opened the freezer, the fridge and all the cabinets to take stock of what we had on hand. Sometimes going back out to the grocery store is just not something I want to do.
I grabbed some ground beef from the freezer, cream cheese from the fridge,onions, basil and garlic fromthe cabinets and got to work.
Beefy Tomato Soup has become one of our most popular recipe on our site and for good reason. It’s really easy to make, it’s done in less than 30 minutes and it’s so creamy and comforting, everyone gobbles it up.
This soup recipe is another way Ilike to use spaghetti sauce in recipes as a short cut and a boost of flavor. And probably one of my favorite ways, too. Also a jar of spaghetti sauce is usually something we have in the pantry so it’s an easy ingredient to use in recipes like this.
This beef and macaroni soup gets so thick it’s almost like a beef goulash. Some people have said that it’s similar to a homemade hamburger helper once the noodles soak up all the broth.
How Do You Make Beefy Tomato Soup?
Gather your ingredients together and start by cooking the onion and garlic in olive oil. Next brown the beef, add a few seasonings then pour in chicken broth and your jar of marinara sauce.
You can still make this soup if you don’t have a jar of spaghetti sauce, just substitute a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce if that’s what you have instead.
Give it a stir and let it simmer for 10 minutes, not a full boil, just a simmer. Stir in cream cheese to make it nice and thick, add some fresh basil and finally add in the pasta. Or don’t, we’ll answer that question below!
Can You Cook the Pasta Separately For This Soup?
You sure can. If you like your soup to have more broth, cook the noodles separately and add it in the each bowl as you serve the soup.
And if you’re planning on making this beef and macaroni soup ahead of time, you should definitely cook the pasta separately so it doesn’t get too thick on you when you go to reheat it.
Because we like this soup recipe thick and creamy, we put the pasta right in there so as it cooks it soaks up some of the broth. We don’t often have leftovers of this soup when we make it so getting too thick on us isn’t an issue.
Maybe it’s the creamy, delicious broth. Maybe it’s the beef and noodle combination. Or maybe it’s because it’s so easy to make!
This Beefy Tomato soup recipe has become a fan favorite since we posted it way back in 2015! It seems like everyone loves it and I hope you do too!
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Beefy Tomato Soup
★★★★★4.9 from 79 reviews
Author:Dan
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:20
Total Time:35 minutes
Yield:6 servings 1x
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Beefy Tomato Soup is an easy beef and macaroni soup that your whole family will love! This soup is done and on the table in less than 30!
Scale
Ingredients
3/4 lb. ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 (24 ounce) jar of spaghetti sauce
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni or short-tubed pasta
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, divided
Instructions
In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens.
Add the ground beef to the onions, breaking up with a spoon and cook until no longer pink. Drain any drippings if necessary.
Add the salt, pepper and oregano to the beef and stir to combine.
Pour in the chicken stock and the pasta sauce, stir and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Whisk in the cream cheese and then add 2 tablespoons of the fresh basil.
Pour in the pasta, stir and let cook for 10 minutes, covered, stirring halfway through cooking.
Spoon into bowls and garnish with the leftover basil.
Recipe Notes
Your favorite spaghetti sauce can be used, or even a can of crushed tomatoes with a little more seasoning works!
*NOTE – A few of our readers have commented that the noodles soak up all the broth when you reheat the next day. If you want the soup for leftovers with more broth, cook the pasta separately and then add it to each bowl as you heat it up!
The key step here is to brown the beef well – aggressively is the term that I use. This adds a ton of flavour to the beef itself and the broth, from the brown bits on the bottom of the pot that dissolves into the broth.
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
Start by using 1 tablespoon of cornstarch at a time, mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. More cornstarch slurry can be added, but be sure not to add too much. Only mix in a small amount of slurry at a time to ensure that your soup will thicken properly. Using corn starch is a fast, effective way to thicken soup.
Taste broth; if its flavor is too sharp or acidic, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and stir well (it will foam at first). Taste and repeat if needed. Purée soup with an immersion blender until smooth, or cool until no longer steaming before puréeing in a countertop blender.
Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings. Poultry gets an added burst of flavor with spices like paprika, lemongrass and saffron. Fish can be made more flavorful with dry mustard powder, thyme and turmeric.
Use fresh vegetables, high-quality meats or broth, and fresh herbs to add depth of flavor. Add acidity: A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a dash of vinegar, or a splash of wine can brighten the flavors of a soup and make it taste more complex.
The standard direction for a can of condensed Tomato Soup is to put the condensed soup in a saucepan, fill the can with water, add the water to the pan, stir, and heat just to the point of simmer. BUT. It's MUCH better with Milk, which makes it a creamy tomato soup, a bit more like a tomato bisque.
This tip comes from food science. Add a small spoonful of sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Season with salt in all of the steps (starting with the sauteed onions). This ensures your tomato soup is never bland.
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.
It can also reduce the acidity of the soup, making it more palatable to those with sensitive stomachs. Additionally, sugar can act as a preservative, helping to keep the soup fresher for longer. However, it is important to note that adding sugar to tomato soup can also lead to some potential adverse health effects.
Baking soda will work too, but may add a bitter taste if you use too much. So if you must use it, start with ⅛ tsp or a pinch of it in a very small amount of water to dissolve. Stir it in well then taste it. Add another pinch if it's still too acidic for you.
The best way to ensure a flavorful soup is to brown the beef and onions in the beginning. If the soup tastes bland at the end of cooking, add more spices and herbs. After adding, allow the soup to cook a little longer so the flavors to meld together.
You can toss the beef in seasoned flour before browning it which will also help thicken the stew. Not adding enough seasoning would be the second potential issue. Add plenty of pepper and some salt and it should taste better. Using beef stock or red wine is better than water for the liquid.
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.
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