Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
©CentsLessMeals
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When the summer starts to wane and most of the U.S. prepares for the end of daylight saving time, I like to “fall back” on old standby recipes, the comfort food that graces my table when the weather’s a bit cooler and changes in appetites seem to indicate there’s an impending hibernation!
This Beef Tomato Macaroni Soup is a fall standard at my house, and it’ll definitely get you in the mood for sweaters and dusting out your fireplace.
The soup starts with a lovely base of aromatics – onions, garlic, and bell peppers, sautéed a bit then browned along with ground beef.
Using an 80/20 combo instead of a leaner cut means maximum beefy flavor and a rich, meaty complement to this tomato-heavy soup.
I use both diced tomatoes and a condensed tomato soup in my recipe.
Adding condensed soup is a great trick for incorporating tomato flavor, of course, but it also has built-in thickeners that lend wonderful body to each spoonful.
The addition of pasta means even more texture and makes this hearty soup a really filling lunch or supper.
To season the soup, I like a combination of chili powder and oregano.
Chili powder brings a subtle heat and slightly bitter component that balances the sweetness of the tomatoes. It also deepens the rich red color of this soup. Oregano, which is a member of the mint family, has a peppery bite that always pairs well with tomatoes.
What we usually find in the stores is actually a Mediterranean or Greek variety, but definitely use Mexican oregano if you can find it. It has a slightly more pronounced licorice flavor that adds a little complexity to this dish.
We love to serve this up with a side of the BEST Cheesy Bread EVER and a side salad for a perfect meal!
Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion Finely Chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Finely Chopped
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 cans Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1 15 ounce can Diced Tomatoes Undrained
- 32 Ounces Beef Broth
- 4 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Elbow Pasta Uncooked
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot. Saute onions, bell pepper and garlic until the vegetables begin to softened, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it up and cooking until there is no longer any pink. Drain off excess fat.
- Stir in chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Add condensed tomato soup, diced tomatoes with their juice, beef broth and water. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling add the pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the pasta is just al dente.
- Adjust seasoning and serve.
Video
Nutrition
My Beef Tomato Macaroni Soup comes together really quickly on the stove, but you can also let it work its magic in the slow cooker if you want it ready and waiting on you when you get home after a busy day. It’ll warm your insides, put smiles on your family’s faces, and give you plenty of leftover time for toasting some marshmallows!
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Mary says
Excellent soup, my family love it. Served it with fresh Italian bread and garlic butter. Will definitely be making this again!
Jill says
The flavor was delicious. I used Ground Turkey instead of beef and I have to say the Turkey ended up a bit dry. Also I used 2 cups of water instead of the full 4. There was definitely still enough liquid in it. Next time I will cut the recipe in half since the full one is enough to feed an army!
Kim says
My daughter and I enjoyed this soup so much. I am definitely going to make it again soon, however, less pasta next time, as I was letting the soup cool before putting it into the fridge, the pasta kept swelling and swelling , I ended up eating the next days with a fork. Was still delicious tho
The Shortcut Kitchen CH says
So glad you and your daughter love the soup! Another option would be to keep the noodles out, and add them only as serving. This works well when you’ll have lots of leftovers. Enjoy!
claire m donovan says
Best recipe on pinterest by far. I cut recipe in half as i am one. So good that I am making second full batch to share. I am adding parboiled barley instead of mac. Thank you for sharing.
CentsLess Meals C says
Thank you for sharing Claire! So happy to hear that you love this soup!
Sherry Plyler says
I plan to make this soup using ground round and Ditilini pasta. Some Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste too. And beans. It was fun reading all the comments. And suggestions.
CentsLess Meals C says
Sounds perfect Sherry! Enjoy the soup.
Vicki says
Making this right now. Smells so good! I am curious if I did something wrong as there seems to way too much liquid. Lol! I followed the recent exactly. It still tastes good!
CentsLess Meals C says
Some pasta brands do absorb less liquid as they cook, so that could be one reason. For this recipe, reduce the liquid to your liking. Enjoy, Vicki!
Renee Schouten says
Hi,
Not sure if you know the answer to this. Can I use tomato sauce instead of the tomato soup? I have lots of tomato sauce.
Renee
Centsless Meals SN says
Hi Renee, we haven’t personally tried that but it should definitely work. Since tomato sauce is thicker you will want to add more water to thin the soup out to your liking! Also if your tomato sauce is preseasoned you may want to reduce the seasonings in the recipe to taste! Let us know how it turns out.
Renee Schouten says
Hi Holly,
It worked out fine. I did not add any more water other than the 4 cups that it said. the consistency looks similar to the picture. Thanks for helping me out!
Renee
Centsless Meals SN says
So happy to hear that Renee! Glad you enjoyed it.
Michelle says
Thank you for this recipe – you saved the day! I was planning on making meatballs and honestly just didn’t feel like it so I searched for a soup to make instead. I didn’t have regular tomato soup but I had a can of Progresso Basil Tomato soup so I used that. I also didn’t have a can of tomatoes but I had two kinds of salsa (hot and mild) so I put a large spoon of each in the soup. I used orzo for the pasta instead of macaroni.
I also used a teaspoon of worcestershire to give it a little flavor.
This is husband approved! I will used this recipe in the future!
Michelle
Centsless Meals SN says
So glad you enjoyed it Michelle! Those sound like some delicious substitutions.
Chris says
Would the nutritional numbers be per bowl or for the whole recipe. This looks delicious!
CentsLess Meals C says
Nutritional information is for one serving Chris. Enjoy!
Judith Verhey says
Made this last week and it was a hit.
My hubby loves Water Chestnuts and asked if I could add them next time, I reheated it with a can of sliced ones and he was right….Yummy!
Added a nice crunch
One question though…what serving size is the nutrional value based on, a one cup serving?
CentsLess Meals C says
This recipe makes 8 servings. Each serving would be approximately 2 1/2 cups. Enjoy Judith!
DAWN says
I PUT MINE IN SLOW COOKER COOKED PEPPPERS AND HAMBURGER ON STOVE THEN ADDED TO THE SLOW COOKER AND THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS. ONCE IT GET GOING HAVENT DECIDED TO PUT NOODLES IN OR COOK ON STOVE THEN PUT IN
CentsLess Meals C says
If you’re making it in the crockpot, you may want to cook the noodles separately and add them as you serve the soup Dawn. Enjoy!
Nancy says
I would love to make this but there is way to much sodium in it. How can I cut the sodium count down?
CentsLess Meals C says
Try using no sodium ingredients for the tomatoes, broth and soup.
Cristy says
How can I make this without using tomatoes? I don’t mind the tomatoe taste( I love ketchup and marinara, etc) but don’t want chunks of tomatoes.
CentsLess Meals C says
I have only tried the recipe as written. You could use crushed or strained tomatoes in place. You could also try a tomato sauce, which may change the taste slightly.
Linda Deprey says
Just put the tomatoes in a blender. I do that when I know someone doesn’t like the tomatoes in chunks , it will be like tomato juice!
Shari Dutcher says
Made this today and the only thing different is I doubled the recipe, added jalapeno peppers along with the green ones. It was a hit, delicious and will be making it again.
CentsLess Meals C says
Great additions Shari! So glad to hear you love this soup!
Austin says
I absolutely love this recipe! Not a fan of green peppers, so I left them out and added a can of Kidney Beans. I also ended up subbing one can of tomato soup for tomato sauce on accident, but it turned out great! It’s so easy to make, I’m adding it into my regular dinner rotation!
Austin says
The only odd thing about it, was it takes FOREVER to cool after serving (might be because of those beans I added). We were waiting a good 20 minutes before it cooled enough to eat. But it was well worth the wait!
Holly says
So glad you loved it, I love the idea of adding beans to this soup! Thanks for sharing.
kelly shanley says
omg i just made this for dinner my family loved it!! im definitely working it into my soup rotation, lol very very good recipe!!
Centsless Meals Bailey says
So glad you loved it Kelly!
kelly shanley says
im making this recipe right now it smells so good!! i know my family is gonna love it!!!
Centsless Meals Bailey says
So glad you loved it!
kelly shanley says
omg yes!!! ive made it so many times since i posted that first comment, lol. its becoming part of my regular soup rotation every year.!! im actually making it again tonight, lol. it tends to thicken up if its not eaten all the first night, but its ok because it turns into an awesome pasta dish!!, unless i add more broth, then it gets soupy again, lol
DeAnna Anderson says
Found and made this today. It was awesome! I only had ground pork so used that instead of the ground beef. Also I did not have a green pepper so I added a cup of finely diced carrot and a cup of diced mushrooms to use them up. Followed the rest of the recipe to a “T”. It was a great soup. It was even better after it had cooled and the pasta had absorbed more of the broth and flavors. It was then like a one pot pasta dish. So yummy in rainy Oregon today.
CentsLess Meals C says
Sounds so delicious DeAnna! Glad you loved this soup!
Lynn says
Why do you pretend that you made these recipes up? This soup recipe , I was making working in a restaurant 49 years ago. Just curious
Holly says
I’m sorry Lynn, I don’t see where we stated we made this recipe up. On this blog we share recipes we make for our families, this is one of them.
It’s a classic, so glad you’ve been loving it for 49 years! 🙂 Have a great day.
Kristi says
Why would you be like that . You either like it or not , don’t need to try to embarrass someone .
Cindy Morrison says
Look everyone I know has a recipe for this soup, where I come from in Canada, we call it goulash, I have been following Holly for a long time and nowhere does she say that she made these recipes up. Check her blog and you will see that a lot of the recipes are from other bloggers. So check your facts before you start accusing someone of doing something that they didn’t do. Just relax and make some great food.
Anna says
I added a can of corn
Susan says
Is there a substitution for the tomato soup?
Lynn says
I’m going to try using a can of tomato paste and a can of tomato sauce. I can adjust from there
Vicky B says
We only added 21/2 cups water And a 3rd can of tomatoe soup !! I️t was delicious like a ghoulish the spices were excellent and Day 2 even better !!
CentsLess Meals C says
Sounds great Vicky!
Reina Rivera-Ortiz says
Can the condensed soup be replaced with something else?
Hannah says
I love this recipe! Perfect, cheap and filling, especially for me as a single mom to a picky toddler. I use crushed red pepper as a substitute for the chili powder and fire roasted tomatoes.
CentsLess Meals C says
Sounds delicious Hannah! So glad you love this recipe.
Jackie says
How long and what temp would I use on the slow cooker? Thanks & can’t wait to try this soon!
CentsLess Meals C says
I’ve only made it as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know if you try it Jackie!
Elaine Condon says
Did you use the small or large can of tomato soup?
CentsLess Meals C says
This is made using the small cans of tomato soup.
Carrie says
Hannah you an always use ground turkey instead of beef like I did and I am diabetic also but then I also added some black beans for a lil more substance for my husband
Patricia Barnhart says
I am putting in black beans because they are so good in soups!
Merissa says
This soup was so great my whole family enjoyed it.
Hannah Tilbury says
Do you know what the carb count is for the tomato & Beef soup? Looks great but husband has diabetes so I have to be very careful.
I wish people would give fat/calories & carb info along with the recipes when posting.
CentsLess Meals C says
I’m sorry I am unable to provide nutritional information. You can enter your ingredients here to calculate your information.
Starlette says
Hi – I’m diabetic. Use DreamField brand pasta only has 5 grams of carbs.