This simple but satisfying, hearty beef and tomato macaroni soup will be a repeat visitor to your dining table when the temperatures drop and appetites grow.
Time savers equal lifesavers in the kitchen, and a big pot of warm, soul-soothing soup is one of my fall favorites. Most soups take minimal effort to put together with maximum flavor payoff, plus there are usually plenty of leftovers to dip into throughout the week between football practice, shopping, or building Pinterest pages of my favorite holiday decorations.
My beef and tomato macaroni soup, basically comfort in a bowl, fits the bill for sure, and you’re likely to find some bubbling away on the stovetop in my kitchen on any given Sunday.
This is a hearty soup with a thick, tomato-filled broth full of tender macaroni and beef, a real stick-to-your-insides meal that will give you plenty of energy to tackle your afternoon or a satisfied stomach ready to stretch out in the evenings and watch the fireplace crackle (even if it’s just one of those flickering on your TV screen).
If you like beefy homemade soups, I hope you’ll try my beef barley soup, goulash soup, cheeseburger soup, and of course, beef noodle soup!
Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup Ingredients
- Aromatics: The aromatic base starts with onions, garlic, and bell peppers which create a strong, flavor-packed foundation.
- Yellow or Spanish onions are my favorite all-purpose varieties since they have a good balance of strong, spicy flavor and a subtle sweetness.
- White onions will work well too, but I don’t recommend Vidalia or Walla Walla onions that really can be a little too sweet for this soup.
- I know we all get in a hurry, and it may be tempting to skip this saute step, but it’s really an important part of building a flavorful soup or stew. Many ingredients won’t release all their flavor until they reach a high temperature (like higher than the boiling point of water or stock).
- The oil in your skillet will get hotter than that measly 212°F (100°C), so it’s the perfect tool for breaking down the aromatics and extracting all their flavors.
- Beef: The ground beef in this dish is my go-to, favorite ratio, an 80/20 ground chuck, with tons of beefy flavor and a richness that holds up nicely in this soup against the tomatoes and forward-facing spices.
- Tomato Soup: Rather than just using canned tomatoes, I like to incorporate cream of tomato soup. It adds mellow tomato flavor to balance the acidic diced version, plus it helps thicken the soup a little.
- Cream of tomato soup also has a touch of milk or cream, which adds some additional richness and gives the soup a little more velvety mouthfeel. It mingles really well with the beef broth and adds that little hint of something special to this soup that others won’t quite be able to put their finger on.
- Spices: The spices I mentioned are chili powder and crushed oregano.
- Chili powder isn’t just ground chilies (that’s cayenne); it also has a little cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and oregano, among other things, so it adds a little heat plus tons of other flavors. I also love the way chili powder deepens the red color of this soup.
- Oregano: This goes great with any savory dish, so it’s a no-brainer for this soup, and the earthy quality really grounds the brightness of the tomatoes. Oregano means “joy of the mountain” in ancient Greek, and it’s a staple in the balmy Mediterranean (it also has four times the number of antioxidants as blueberries!).
- Like most dried herbs you can get a head start on its flavor by rubbing it between your palms to release all the essential oils before you drop it into your soup. (There’s also a tradition of rubbing those leftover oils onto your skin if you want to dream about your future spouse, though I’m pretty sure I’d just dream about pizza.)
- Pasta: The curved “elbow” style we love here in the States is called chifferi or gomiti. Although either will work in this beef and macaroni soup, elbow macaroni is what I usually have on hand and it’s more readily available in the grocery store.
- It’s also the perfect size for ensuring a well-rounded, equitable spoonful of beef, tomato chunks, and pasta. Tubular pasta, in general, maximizes surface area for absorbing all the flavors of this soup, and cooking it in the soup itself capitalizes on this.
Tips For Beef and Tomato Soup:
- Chili-Mac – If you love chili mac as much as I do, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of cumin to this soup to give it a Mexican flair.
- You can even sprinkle a little shredded Mexican cheese blend on top before serving and garnish with a little chopped cilantro.
- Broth – Homemade stock is always the best, but I don’t always have some in my fridge or freezer. There are tons of store-bought options that have homemade flavor, and you can also find low-sodium versions if you need to watch your salt intake.
- In a pinch, you can also use Better than Bouillon instead of beef broth. Just mix 1 ½ tablespoons into 32 oz. of water (you can even do this in the pot rather than dissolving the bouillon in the water first).
How To Make Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
- Saute the aromatics.
- Add and brown the ground beef.
- Add the herbs and spices.
- Add cream of tomato soup, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil
- Add pasta and simmer.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? The cooked beef macaroni soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? I prefer it freshly made. The pasta gets mushy after freezing.
- Make-Ahead Tips: The flavor is even better made a day or two ahead of time. The flavors will continue to develop and will create a superior flavor. That said, if you’re making it ahead of time, I’d wait to add the pasta until you’re ready to serve it.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more food safety info check out this article.
Serving Recommendations
This is delicious served with buttery homemade crescent rolls, beer bread, hunks of warm Southern cornbread, or for a sweeter version, Bisquick cornbread, butter swim biscuits, or our favorite, Bisquick biscuits to dip and sop up the delicious gravy of this soup.
To freshen the meal up, I like to add to a crisp green salad dressed and tossed with my easy-peasy balsamic vinaigrette or crispy copycat KFC coleslaw.
More Delicious Soups
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sausage And Bean Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Lasagne Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Spinach Soup
- Tomato and Basil Soup
- Turkey Carcass Soup
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed cream of tomato soup
- 1 (15-ounces) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups uncooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions (1), green bell pepper (1), and garlic (2 cloves) and saute until the onion mixture begins to soften about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the ground beef (1 pound), crumbling with a wooden spoon, cook until there is no longer any pink. Drain off excess fat.
- Add the chili powder (2 teaspoons), oregano (2 teaspoons), salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add condensed cream of tomato soup (2 (10.75-ounce) cans), diced tomatoes with their juice (1 (15-ounces) can), beef broth (32 ounces), and water (4 cups).
- Bring to a boil, add pasta (2 cups). Reduce heat and cover and simmer until the pasta is just al dente. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Chili-Mac – If you love chili mac as much as I do, you might try adding a teaspoon or two of cumin to this soup to give it a Mexican flair.
- You can even sprinkle a little shredded Mexican cheese blend on top before serving and garnish with a little chopped cilantro.
- Broth – Homemade stock is always the best, but I don’t always have some in my fridge or freezer. There are tons of store-bought options that have homemade flavor, and you can also find low-sodium versions if you need to watch your salt intake.
- In a pinch, you can also use Better than Bouillon instead of beef broth. Just mix 1 ½ tablespoons into 32 oz. of water (you can even do this in the pot rather than dissolving the bouillon in the water first).
Nutrition
Source: Gonna Want Seconds. First Published on CentslessMeals
Kenneth Odister says
I plan on making this soup but I couldn’t find the condensed cream of tomato soup so I will just use regular condensed tomato soup I hope it turns out.
Kathleen says
Hi, Kenneth! I think that’ll work! Another reader had the same problem as you. What she did is:
“Couldn’t find any cream of tomato, so just used tomato soup with a little milk”
I hope this will work for you. Let us know how it turns out 🙂
Brenda says
Ha ha ha. Made this tonight. Couldn’t find any cream of tomato, so just used tomato soup with a little milk. We sat down and took a few bites and I said well nothing special but it’s ok. Then the more we ate, the better it tasted. We had three servings each. I had to laugh. This is really tasty. My husband said this was a keeper. Thanks for this easy and economical meal.
Kathleen says
Hi, Brenda! I learned something, I gotta try tomato soup + milk if I don’t have the cream of tomato soup! I’m glad you and your husband love this soup 🙂
Diana says
Awesome soup 🍲
Kathleen says
Thanks so much, Diane! I’m glad you enjoyed!!
Laura Harris says
Absolutely delicious! Couldn’t find cream of tomato soup so used regular tomato soup and added a little heavy cream! Yummy!!
Kathleen says
Hi, Laura! That’s great, thank you for sharing your idea 🙂
I’m glad you like this soup!
Kathy Pidlubny says
This is a excellent soup, my grandchildren love it.
Kathleen says
So happy to hear that, Kathy!!!
Nicole says
I made this last night and it was wonderful. I have a question, how do you keep the noodles from getting mushy?
Thanks,
🙂 Nicole
Kathleen says
Hi, Nicole! Glad you like this macaroni soup! You can cook the pasta only halfway if you want to store it longer.
Johanne Cardinal says
I make soups all the time but my husband says this one beats them all…
Kathleen says
Wow! That’s amazing, Johanne! 🙂
Donna says
Wow! I was so eager to make this recipe once I saw it that I immediately went to the store to buy the 3 ingredients that I didn’t already have at home. I used all of the ingredients suggested, but made it in my slow cooker.
I have to say that the broth for the soup is great (I just sampled it, but have a short while left till soup is done). I know it is going to become one of my favorites.
I have emailed the recipe to 2 of my friends.
Thank you so much. Donna
Kathleen says
Yay! So happy to hear you like it, Donna! ?
Linda says
Can you tell me what you mean by “ratio 80/20 ground beef?”
Kathleen says
Hi Linda. It means that the ground beef is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat 🙂
Cat says
I meant to say V8 juice
Cat says
You could use tomato soup I do all the time
Jenny says
Wondering with The Leftovers won’t the broth get all soaked up by the pasta?
Stephanie says
I love this recipe,I made it postpartum and ate the whole thing within a few days.Now I’m making it again.Yum!
Kathleen says
Hi, Stephanie! Thank you! Glad you like it! It’s so comforting right? So happy you’re making it again, enjoy!! 🙂
Lisa says
This sounds delicious! But doesn’t the 4 cups of water take away from the flavor? Would using more beef broth be better?
Kathleen says
Hey Lisa. Great question! The flavors are pretty concentrated but you can switch to the beef broth. I’d use low sodium broth. <3
vic says
Ok now. Please pardon my slight complaint of your spelling mistakes in my last email.
They were in no way intended to offend you or put you down.
Now for my review:
I wanted to prepare this dish for my wife tonight. She’s been working all day volunteering at a local thrift store and I’m home down in the back, but I wanted to have a hot dinner prepared for my wife for a change.
So, I looked in the pantry and there’s no tomato soup. No elbow macaroni. There were no green pepper or garlic cloves in the fridge either. These things are usually readily available in our home.
Among having driven trucks for most of my adult life, I have also worked in the machine shop, wood cutting, logging, welding, and many other things and of course… COOKING !
So I decided I would have to wing this one by improvising !
I didn’t see any purpose to using the vegetable oil. Here in the country we just put the onion and green pepper in with the beef and cook it down… then drain.
I substituted a small can of tomato paste for the two cans of Cream of Tomato soup.
I used powdered Garlic in place of minced garlic and I used shell pasta instead of elbow macaroni.
My wife prefers her soup with less liquid, so I used three cups of LARGE shells and approximately one and a half cups of small shell pasta… I used up the rest of the opened bag in the cabinet.
The end result…
My wife liked it 🙂
I myself absolutely loved it. My wife added a bit of shredded cheddar cheese to hers and I decided to try this on my “second” helping !
Yes, I had to have two bowls !
Now this doesn’t exactly give a rave review regarding YOUR recipe, but I will say that your recipe gave me the foundation to make a great pot of soup !
We loved it.
Thank you Kathleen, and please don’t be offended by my issue with your spelling efforts… it’s my OCD 🙂
Merry Christmas from the Krueger family in Buyck, Mn.
Kathleen says
Vic, I’m so happy you and your wife enjoyed the soup! No worries about the spelling. Maybe I should hire you to be my editor!! Merry Christmas to you and your family <3
Nadine says
Love your post!
Kathleen says
Thank you so much, Nadine! Glad you like it! 🙂
Nathalie says
Hi
Just being sure, two cans of condensed cream of tomatoes or regular tomatoe?
I can not find the condensed in cream just in regular tomatoes.Help.
Kathleen says
Hey Nathalie, you can use either one <3
Sharon says
Is it really 1230 calories per serving? And how big is a serving?
Kathleen says
Hi, Sharon! Thanks for asking. I just updated the Nutrition Facts. It’s now 829 Calories per serving (just right for a regular soup bowl). Hope you like this!
Dorothy says
what is the water for, do I add that also with the soup and tomatoes and macaroni is it possible to send reply to my email as I am not very computer smart and I am a senior so have a hard time, thank you
Kathleen says
Hi Dorothy! I just sent you an email.
Nancy says
Okay smarter, as an old woman I use to be an I.T. professional but at 66 I have trouble keeping up. All I have is snip and copy but I can only do one are at a time. I sort of remember but would you remind me please.
Kathleen says
I’m sorry Nancy I’m a little confused with your question. Are you trying the print a recipe? If so all you have to do is press the print button. There is one located at the top of every post in a green button, right below the title, and also one on the recipe itself, right below the small photo on the recipe. Please let me know if this helps <3
Nancy says
LOL I saw the link above. duh
Kathleen says
<3
Bertha Parrish says
I have it cooking now, smells great. I almost added a can of whole kernel corn, drained, but didn’t know if it would alter the taste too much.
Kathleen Smith says
I hope you enjoy Bertha!
Danielle says
Sounds like perfect comfort food. There isn’t anything much more comforting than a hot, hearty soup. I love that kind of stuff in the cold weather (even if it’s just California cold). I just finished a recipe for chili mac, and I love the idea of turning those flavors into a soup. I actually wish I was eating it right now.
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Danielle. Soup is my go to comfort food, too <3
Billie Lewis says
So good just made it?
Kathleen Smith says
So glad you like it Billie <3