Cowboy Soup with Ground Beef, Beans and Potatoes
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It’s called cowboy soup because it’s loaded with everything. Ground beef, beans, ton of veggies and potatoes all simmered in a flavorfully seasoned broth. It’s high protein and filled with fiber to keep you full all day long.
The best part about this soup is you can toss in anything you have on hand. It’s my go to when it’s cold outside and I have leftover veggies about to go bad. It takes about 20 minutes to cook snd it’s ready to serve. It’s even better the next day, so make extra!
For more cold weather soups and stews try chicken enchilada soup, corn and potato chowder, Instant Pot turkey chili and white bean chicken chili.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 260 calories per serving and 26g of protein.
- Simple ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this cowboy stew recipe. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions.
- Lean Ground Beef: 96/4 is best so your broth isn’t oily. If using a fattier ground beef, remove excess grease. Substitute with any ground meat: ground chicken or ground sausage are my favorites. If using ground turkey, add a little extra seasoning to get that extra flavor.
- Russet Potatoes: I like russet because the starch yields a thicker soup. Use any type of potato, including sweet potatoes or omit completely.
- Rotel: If you can’t find Rotel tomatoes, use a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of green chilies.
- Ranch Beans: if you can’t find Ranch Style Beans, substitute with a can of chili beans, pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans.
- Frozen Vegetables: I used frozen to make life easy but I often use fresh vegetables that are leftover from the week and about to go bad. Toss them all in!
- Jalapeno: adjust your spice level with the jalapeno. For mild to no spice, omit entirely.
- Beef Broth: has a deeper and richer flavor than others broths but you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Variations
- Top with shredded cheese, broken tortilla chips or a dollop of sour cream.
- Add a little hot sauce into the mix for some heat.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
How to make this heart cowboy soup (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: brown meat and add onions and garlic
Over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the large pot or dutch oven. Once hot, add the ground beef and break into pieces to cook (image 1). Cook over medium until almost completely cooked and no longer pink. Add onions and garlic to the pot and simmer until the onions begin to turn translucent (image 2). Stir often so the bottom does not burn. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper to the meat and mix together well the combine (image 3). Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the meat and mix together well the combine. Add potatoes, rotel tomatoes, frozen veggies, beans with the juices, jalapeno and beef broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil (image 4).
Step 2: simmer and serve
Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender (image 5).
Expert Tip!
Swap any veggies or potatoes with what you have on hand!
Recipe FAQs
Slow Cooker: brown the meat and add to the crockpot. Then, add all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you lose some liquid, add additional beef broth.
Instant Pot: Follow the same directions as the stove top and cook for 15 minutes. You can brown the meat directly in the base of the instant pot on sauté.
Top with broken tortilla chips, hot sauce, sliced jalapeño, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. This cowboy soup is great as a standalone dish but you can also serve with a side salad or some fresh garlic bread.
Store any leftover cowboy soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.
Check out some of our other easy meals!
- Vegetarian Hamburger Helper
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Cowboy Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef 96/4
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 lbs. russet potatoes chopped
- 10 oz. Rotel tomatoes
- 12 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
- 15 oz. Ranch Style Beans with juices
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed and chopped (optional)
- 5 cups Beef Broth
Instructions
- Over medium heat add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the large dutch oven or soup pot. Once hot add the ground beef and break into pieces to cook. Cook over medium until almost completely cooked and no longer pink. Add onions and garlic to the pot and simmer until the onions begin to turn translucent. Stir often so the bottom does not burn.
- Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the meat and mix together well the combine. Add potatoes, rotel tomatoes, frozen veggies, beans with the juices, jalapeno and beef broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling lower the heat to simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Notes
- Nutritional facts are an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- For the most accurate serving measurement, weigh your final dish and divide by the number of servings.
- If you want less heat, omit the jalapeños. You can add it on when serving if desired.
My teenage boys aren’t thrilled to have soup for dinner but they loved this!
When the teens approve, I know it’s a winner LOL!