Beef and Pasta Soup

This is a soup that’s a complete meal!  Beef and Pasta Soup covers all the bases in terms of being a well-balanced meal.  It’s delicious, hearty, mom/dad-approved, and kid-friendly too! This recipe makes a big batch, which is good, because it freezes quite well!

KID APPROVED MEALS

Beef and Pasta Soup is super kid friendly. If you have a child in your household, you’ll be able to totally relate to what I’m about to say.  And, if you don’t have a kid living with you in some capacity, I encourage you to be sympathetic and compassionate to our plight. 

Trying to find a meal that is liked by everyone at the dinner table – without one single complaint – is damn nearly impossible.  But, once in a while, that rare moment comes along when you hear those heavenly words uttered from the little human sitting at your dinner table: “Can I have some more?”

Hallelujah!!!  God be praised!!!  There is really nothing more satisfying than hearing that what you choose to make for dinner was delicious and appreciated.  Move over instant noodles, canned pasta, and grilled cheese; this dad has dinner in the bag!  

THIS SOUP WAS CERTAINLY A HIT!

This actually happened to me.  True story.  I served up a big bowl of Beef and Pasta Soup to McKenna.  And, it was just that.  No bread, no salad or sandwich, no sides at all.  Picture it: we’re sitting at the dinner table, she lifts her spoon and I hear, “mmm,” “oh, this is good,” “yum!” 

More often than not, there’s a little complaint.  Sometimes, it’s rather small, but sometimes it makes me want to jump off a bridge.  No!  Push them off a bridge.  My cooking is awesome; it’s not my fault their taste buds are flawed!

On with my story… the soup bowl was soon empty and a few more large ladles of soup went missing from the pot.  The shocker though, was when McKenna asked if there was enough left for her to take to school the next day for lunch!  Score!!!  I immediately filled up a thermos and did a happy dance.

Furthermore, the next day, McKenna wanted to eat dinner early, because she was going to see a musical with her friend.  So, we are both in the kitchen and I’m pointing out some options for her dinner when she asks, “Hey, is there any of that soup from last night left?” 

What!!??  Not only did she eat the soup for dinner the night before, and had the same soup for lunch at school, but she was wanting it again for dinner the second night.  Let’s just say, Dear Reader, this soup will be prepared over and over again in our home for the rest of the winter months.  

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

FRESH INGREDIENTS

• Ground Beef – You will need one pound, but make sure you get lean ground beef. Otherwise, your soup will be greasy. Of course, you can drain it, but you can never get rid of all of the grease.
• Onion – You can use yellow, white, or even red onion here.
• Carrots – You will want the carrots to cook quickly, so it’s important to either use smaller carrots or cut larger carrots into smaller pieces.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves of garlic add flavour and depth to the soup. Plus, ground beef loves garlic!
• Parsley
• Frozen Corn – Can you use fresh, for sure! Frozen corn is cheaper and less cumbersome, so I use if often in dishes like this.

PANTRY INGREDIENTS

• Olive Oil – I like to use olive oil to help the onions sweat. If you use lean beef, you won’t notice the extra bit of added oil.
• Vegetable Broth – Always use low sodium broth so that you can control the salt. I used vegetable, but you can use beef broth too.
• Tomato Sauce – Easily found in any grocery store, but you can also make your own at home. Here’s my Canned Tomato Sauce recipe.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes – You will need canned diced tomatoes including the juice. Store-bought is fine, but I used my homemade canned tomatoes.
• Tomato Paste – Use for flavour and colour, stews are synonymous with tomato paste.
• Pasta – Any short pasta will work – macaroni, penne, fusilli, etc. Be sure to undercook your pasta on the extreme side. The cooked pasta will continue to cook in the ground beef mixture, so you won’t want to cook it all the way through in the beginning stages.

SPICE RACK INGREDIENTS

• Dried Thyme
• Bay Leaves
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE BEEF AND PASTA SOUP

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil and ground beef. Cook the ground beef until browned – about 20 minutes. Drain the fat and return the beef to the pot. Add the onion and carrots. Stir into the beef and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Next, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, dried thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and place a lid on the pot. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Add the broth and pasta. Stir to combine. Place the lid back on the pot and cook for 10 minutes. By this time, the pasta should be cooked. Add the frozen corn and stir. Do not place the lid back on the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN TOO!

Now, really, who can blame her?  This soup is just as delicious at it looks in these photographs.  I should note though, that this soup can be made vegetarian as well. On several occasions, I have used a vegetarian ‘beef’ product so that John.e could eat it. 

If you’d like to make your soup a vegetarian version as well, you can use Yves Original Veggie Ground Round, as I did.  The Gardein Beefless Round works great too! The only difference to the recipe instructions below is simple; you will not need to drain the fat.  That’s it!

If you’re using beef, just follow the recipe exactly as written.  Be sure to drain the fat from the cooked ground beef to avoid a very greasy soup.  Even if you’re using extra lean ground beef, you’ll still want to drain the fat to be sure your soup tastes and looks exactly like it should.

I’m sure your family will enjoy this just as much as mine.  I hope they sing your praises and make you feel like the rock star home-cook you really are!  Enjoy!