Cowboy Soup is a hearty mash-up of chili and vegetable soup, loaded with ground beef, potatoes, and veggies in a rich, flavorful broth.
Author’s Notes
My Perfect Cowboy Soup!
Cowboy soup is the ultimate hearty, throw-it-all-in-one-pot kind of meal, packed with ground beef and veggies. I like to think of it as a mix between vegetable beef soup, chili, and taco soup, but a little thicker and more stew-like.
While there’s no one exact way to make it, I worked and worked on this version until I could confidently say it is outrageously good. At this point, I don’t think I could make cowboy soup any other way!
It’s comforting, filling, easy to make, and really, really good with a handful of cheese, a scoop of sour cream, and some crusty buttered bread for dipping. Mmmh mmmh!
Ingredients In This Cowboy Soup Recipe
| Ingredient | Let’s Chat About It |
|---|---|
| Ground beef | Allow time for the ground beef to get deeply browned and absorb the rendered fat for the most flavor possible. |
| Onion, carrots & red pepper | Dice the veggies small and evenly so they soften nicely and you get a little of everything in each bite. |
| Tomato paste & crushed tomatoes | Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes are especially good here. Cook the tomato paste until it darkens slightly before adding the liquid. |
| Beef broth, bouillon & Worcestershire | Use a good-quality beef broth since it makes up so much of this cowboy soup. The bouillon and Worcestershire give it an extra boost. |
| Gold potatoes, black-eyed peas & corn | Gold potatoes hold their shape beautifully. Drain and rinse the peas, and frozen corn can go straight into the pot at the end. |
Chelsea’s Notes
Serving Suggestions
Cowboy soup is hearty enough on its own, so I like to keep the sides simple. My favorites are:
- Buttered cornbread for dipping
- Crusty (toasted) bread or a baguette with lots of butter
- Homemade biscuits if you want something extra comforting
- My favorite arugula salad helps to balance the rich soup
- Quesadillas for something fun and kid-friendly to dunk in the soup
For toppings, shredded sharp Cheddar, sour cream, avocado, green onions, or crushed tortilla chips are all really good.
Storage
Cowboy soup is one that just gets better with time! Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth to slightly thin as needed.
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Cowboy Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more as needed
- 1 pound ground beef chuck (80/20)
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion 1 large onion
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced carrots 4 carrots
- 1 large red bell pepper finely diced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon each: beef bouillon powder garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons each: chili powder paprika
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes see note 1
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 (32-ounce) carton beef broth see note 2 (4 cups)
- 2 cups diced gold potatoes unpeeled is fine!
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas drained & rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley optional, for topping
- Freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese optional, for serving
- Crusty buttered bread optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a very large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add beef to the center and season to taste (I add 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper). Let it sear, then crumble and cook until deeply browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, loosely cover with foil, and set aside.
- You want about 2 tablespoons fat in the pot. If there’s more, drain off the excess. If there’s less, add enough olive oil to make about 2 tablespoons total. Add onion, carrots & red pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 7–10 minutes.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, beef bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder & paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and the tomato paste begins to darken slightly, about 2–3 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over everything and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add crushed tomatoes (careful, they may sputter!) and cook for 1 more minute. Gradually pour in beef broth while stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add potatoes and bay leaves and stir well. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir every 4–5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot so nothing catches, then promptly replace the lid.
- Once potatoes are tender and broth has thickened nicely, return beef to the pot. Add black-eyed peas, corn & Worcestershire sauce and stir just until everything is warmed through. Stir in red wine vinegar, then taste and adjust seasonings to preference (I typically add another 1/4–1/2 tsp salt). For even more flavor and a thicker texture, let the soup simmer a little longer over low heat before serving.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and freshly shredded Cheddar, if using. Serve with crusty buttered bread for dipping.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I LOVE this soup!
Yay! Thank you Reeder!