Best Ground Beef Soup Recipes
These ground beef soup recipes run from smoky Tex Mex taco soup to a cheesy lasagna soup. Most start with a pound or two of browned beef and a few pantry cans, like Rotel and ranch beans. They’re great for a tailgate or a meal train, and most of them freeze well. Nine of the ten are ready in 25 to 45 minutes, and every one feeds at least 6.
It’s 4:30. I’ve had a day. And somehow people still expect dinner. Again. Every single night. LOL.
My fix is a pound of ground beef and whatever cans are hiding in the pantry. I keep a batch of browned ground beef and onions in the freezer for exactly this moment, which is basically the closest I get to having it all together.
So I keep this list handy. When I don’t know what to make, I pick one and start browning.
More Soups When Beef Isn’t on the Menu
- Swamp Soup – smoky Cajun sausage with beans and noodles
- Marry Me Chicken Soup – creamy sun dried tomato broth
- Crockpot Chicken Tortellini Soup – cheese tortellini in a slow cooker broth
- Crack Chicken Noodle Soup – bacon and ranch in a noodle soup
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10 Ground Beef Soups Worth Your Pound of Beef
Taco Night in a Bowl
7 Can Taco Soup Brown the beef with taco and ranch seasoning, open seven cans, simmer. That’s it. Ranch beans and green enchilada sauce do the heavy lifting, and everybody piles on their own toppings. This is the fastest one on the list.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Freezer: up to 3 months
Cowboy Soup Ranch beans are the secret here (don’t drain them). Add potatoes, mixed veggies, and Rotel, and you’ve got a pot that feeds an army. The card says 16 servings and it means it. Great for a game day crowd, or a freezer meal for a friend who needs one.
Ready in: 30 minutes
Serves: 16
Freezer: freezes great, cool it completely first
Santa Fe Soup The brothier cousin of taco soup, with three kinds of beans, Rotel, green chiles, and ranch plus taco seasoning. Shoepeg white corn is my favorite in it. It’s even better the next day. I’ve been known to eat it for breakfast with a slice of avocado. (No judgment.)
Ready in: 30 minutes
Serves: 10
Freezer: up to 3 months
Chili Without the Cook Off Drama
Rotel Chili Rotel brings the tomatoes and the green chiles in one can, so there’s zero extra chopping. Beef, beans, chili seasoning, done. Eat it in a bowl or spoon it over hot dogs, nachos, or a baked potato.
Ready in: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Freezer: 4 to 6 months
Black Eyed Pea Chili This is the two meat one. Ground beef plus spicy pork sausage, with frozen black eyed peas for a Southern spin. Make it for New Year’s Day for the good luck tradition, or any cold night you want chili that isn’t the usual. Reheat it on the stove, because the peas pop in the microwave.
Ready in: 35 minutes
Serves: 10
Freezer: up to 3 months
Clean Out the Fridge Soups
Busy Day Soup You might know it as macaroni and hamburger soup. Beefy onion soup mix, frozen mixed veggies, elbow macaroni, and no chopping. This is the one I make when I’m too tired to even think about a side dish.
Ready in: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Freezer: leave the noodles out, or undercook them a few minutes
Hobo Stew My husband used to make hobo packets in foil on camping trips. This is the same idea in a pot, because we’re at home and I have a stove. Potatoes, mixed veggies, ranch beans, and onion soup mix. It’s mild, so it works for picky eaters, and it happily takes whatever veggies are hanging out in your fridge.
Ready in: 40 minutes
Serves: 12
Freezer: up to 3 months
All the Flavor, None of the Rolling
Stuffed Pepper Soup Everything you like about stuffed peppers without the stuffing. The slow cooker does the work, and the rice goes in uncooked for the last 30 minutes. My kids used to call it traffic light soup because of the red, yellow, and green. This is the only slow cooker soup on the list.
Ready in: 4 hours on low (slow cooker)
Serves: 12
Freezer: up to 3 months, leave the rice out
Cabbage Roll Soup This started with my cousin Carol’s Thanksgiving cabbage rolls. I showed up early just to watch her make them and learn the secrets. Tomato juice and lemon juice make it sweet, sour, and tangy. Turning it into soup isn’t me being lazy. (OK, I am. LOL.)
Ready in: 40 minutes
Serves: 12
Freezer: up to 3 months, leave the rice out
Spicy Lasagna Soup For when I’m craving my mom’s lasagna but it’s a Tuesday. Broken lasagna noodles cook right in the pot, mozzarella gets stirred in, and a spoonful of ricotta goes on top. Red pepper flakes bring the “spicy.”
Ready in: 45 minutes
Serves: 8
Freezer: you can, but the noodles get soft and the cheese can get grainy. Make it ahead without the cheese instead.
Ground Beef Soups at a Glance
| Soup | Ready In | Serves | Freezer Friendly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Can Taco Soup | 25 min | 6 | Yes |
| Cowboy Soup | 30 min | 16 | Yes |
| Santa Fe Soup | 30 min | 10 | Yes |
| Rotel Chili | 30 min | 6 | Yes |
| Busy Day Soup | 30 min | 6 | Without noodles |
| Black Eyed Pea Chili | 35 min | 10 | Yes |
| Hobo Stew | 40 min | 12 | Yes |
| Cabbage Roll Soup | 40 min | 12 | Without rice |
| Spicy Lasagna Soup | 45 min | 8 | Not really |
| Stuffed Pepper Soup | 4 hrs (slow cooker) | 12 | Without rice |
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Every soup here keeps in an airtight container in the fridge. Times range from 3 to 5 days depending on the recipe, so check the post for the one you made.
Freezer: Most of these freeze for up to 3 months (Rotel Chili goes 4 to 6). Soups with rice or pasta are the exception. Freeze them without the rice or noodles and add them fresh when you reheat, or they turn mushy.
Reheating: Warm it on the stove over medium heat. Soup thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plenty. Taco soup, chili, cowboy soup, cabbage roll soup, stuffed pepper soup, and lasagna soup all start with browned ground beef. Most only need pantry cans and about 30 minutes.
Mine starts with ground beef, onion, and garlic, seasoned with chili powder and cumin. Then in go ranch beans, corn, mixed vegetables, diced tomatoes, Rotel, diced potatoes, and beef broth. The ranch beans are the secret, so don’t drain them.
For soup, 7 Can Taco Soup is the fastest on this list at 25 minutes. Cowboy Soup, Santa Fe Soup, Rotel Chili, and Busy Day Soup all take 30.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. My 3 Ingredient Potato Soup is frozen potatoes O’Brien, country gravy mix, and chicken broth. No peeling, no chopping, and it’s ready in 30 minutes. It’s not a beef soup, but it’s that easy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use lean ground beef so you don’t have to drain much fat.
- Add the seasoning while the beef is still browning so it toasts in the pan.
- Don’t drain ranch beans. That sauce is seasoning.
- Keep a bag of browned ground beef and onions in the freezer. Half of dinner is done before you start.
- Leave the rice or noodles out of anything you plan to freeze.
- Add a splash of broth when you reheat, because every one of these thickens overnight.
What to Serve With Soup Night
- Skillet Cornbread – crispy edged cast iron cornbread
- Garlic Knots – buttery rolls for dunking
- Italian Chopped Salad – crunchy side for the lasagna soup
- Broccoli Grape Salad – sweet and crunchy contrast to a rich bowl
Pick a soup, grab a pound of ground beef, and go. The hardest part is deciding which can to open first.
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