This cozy Macaroni Soup is an easy and flavorful family meal—and so nourishing with tomato, beef, and loads of veggies. I love to make this with elbows, but other small pasta shapes such as wagon wheels would work well, too.
Macaroni Soup
We eat a lot of soup in our house (often on Sundays), and this one is a favorite. It’s similar to one my grandmother used to make, and I love how versatile and delicious it is.
I’ve tried to streamline the chopping you need to do for this, but there are options for pre-cut or frozen vegetables.
We love the flavor of this tomato broth with the ground beef and veggies for its a nod to Italian-American cuisine. It’s particularly good with grated Parmesan cheese on top, and adults may enjoy some crushed red pepper or hot sauce. It’s one of our family’s favorite ground beef recipes.
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this soup to share with your family.
- Garlic cloves: Peeled and minced. You can also use jarred.
- Mirepoix: This mix of onion, carrot, and celery is now commonly sold prepared in the produce or freezer aisle. You can also dice the three veggies from fresh.
- Italian seasoning: This adds classic Italian flavor with minimal effort.
- Ground beef: You can use 90-95% lean ground beef here.
- Reduced-sodium chicken broth: You can trade in beef or veggie broth if you prefer.
- Marinara sauce: Marinara sauce adds a lot of flavor to the broth. You can also use crushed tomatoes.
- Elbow pasta: This is my preferred type of macaroni to use in this soup, but any other small shape will work.
- Frozen green beans or corn or peas: Pick the ones you prefer.
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Ingredient Substitutions
You can make the following substitutions if you prefer:
- You can use ground turkey or chicken, mild Italian sausage, or beef stew meat instead of the ground beef.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the beef and add 2 cans rinsed and drained white beans.
- Use another small pasta shape in place of elbows such as mini bowties or wagon wheels.
- Use a gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Use beef, chicken, or vegetable broth.
- Instead of using pre-cut mirepoix, dice onion, carrots, and celery.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full amounts and timing.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil. When warm, add the garlic, mirepoix, salt, and Italian seasoning.
- Add the beef and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add the broth and marinara sauce and bring to a simmer.
- When simmering, add the pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Stir in the frozen vegetables and simmer until tender. Stir in seasonings. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Adults may enjoy this topped with hot sauce or crushed red pepper, too.
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. If the pasta has absorbed most of the broth, you can add a little more before heating to ensure there is enough.
Best Tips for Success
- Mirepoix is simply a mix of carrots, onion, and celery. It is commonly sold pre-cut in the produce or freezer aisle. To make your own, simply dice about 2/3 cup of each and add to the pot in Step 1.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the beef and add 2 cans rinsed and drained white beans.
- Use a gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Use beef, chicken, or vegetable broth.
- If using another shape of pasta, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Using marinara sauce adds a little more flavor than crushed tomatoes, but both work.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Easy Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced; or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 cups mirepoix (fresh or frozen, see Notes for info)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 quarts reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 ounce can marinara sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 2 cups frozen green beans (or corn or peas)
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Set a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. When warm, add the garlic, mirepoix, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the beef, break up with a wooden spoon, and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add the broth and marinara sauce and raise the heat to high. Once it starts to simmer, reduce heat to medium.
- Add the pasta. Cook for 6 minutes or until the pasta is just cooked through. (If the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat. You want slow bubbles to avoid overcooking the meat.)
- Stir in the frozen green beans and simmer for an additional 4 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. If the pasta has absorbed most of the broth, you can add a little more before heating.
- Trade in ground chicken, turkey, mild Italian sausage, or beef stew meat for the ground beef if you prefer.
- Mirepoix is simply a mix of carrots, onion, and celery. It is commonly sold pre-cut in the produce or freezer aisle. To make your own, dice about 2/3 cup of each and add to the pot in Step 1.
- To make this vegetarian, omit the beef and add 2 cans rinsed and drained white beans.
- Use a gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Use beef, chicken, or vegetable broth.
- If using another shape of pasta, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Using marinara sauce adds a little more flavor than crushed tomatoes, but both work.
Thoughts on preparing this for the freezer? I’m looking for easy freezer meals that are healthy and warm/winter vibes before baby # 3 comes. Thanks!
Hi- It would probably work well, though the texture of the pasta will be softer after freezing, thawing, and reheating. You could make the soup and freeze cooked pasta separately and stir together to serve though. This post may also give you some ideas https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/best-freezer-meals/
So good! Perfect kitchen sink recipe. Any mostly eaten bags of frozen vegetables, I dump them right in.
the instructions say to add the seasonings at the begining and then again at the end- which is it?
it’s fixed for you.
This is one of those easy dump recipes you don’t have to put much thought into. Upon your suggestion, I prepped the mirepoix veg and froze into small serving sizes so I had that ready to go. I used marinara for rich flavor. My family loved it!
So easy and delicious! I made this today and it was the perfect thing to make while you’re multitasking (like emptying/filling the dishwasher before you have to pickup the kiddos!). I just watched it, added ingredients and stirred while I cleaned and it turned out great! I made it vegan with impossible burger and veggie broth and threw in frozen spinach and peas (what I had in the freezer) and it was amazing.
Made this with Beyond Beef ground for a vegetarian version and it was amazing and easy! Thanks for the recipe
I made this tonight and it was perfect. I used a garlic/herb marinara sauce and cellentani pasta. Chopped my own carrots and onions. Excellent flavor and I can’t wait to have my leftovers tomorrow! I could easily see freezing everything but the noodles and green beans and throwing it on the stove in the winter. So good!
I’m so glad!
Made this for dinner tonight…SO yummy and easy to make! Literally took me no time to whip up. Everyone loved it including my 3 year old and 9 month old. Thank you for always providing us with delicious recipes! Takes the guess work out of mealtime!
I’m so glad to hear that and thank you for leaving a comment!