This hearty Beef Minestrone Soup only takes 30 minutes from start to finish! The addition of ground beef makes it hearty and satisfying. We love this rich, savory soup that comforts and soothes on cold winter nights. Sometimes I leave out the pasta and add an extra pound of meat for a different version.
Classic minestrone soup delicious and simple. A well seasoned tomato broth is studded with pasta and vegetables and served with some fresh grated cheese and crusty bread. Lovely! But my favorite way to enjoy this soup is making it with beef! Using hamburger in minestrone gives it a nice protein boost and makes it a hearty winter meal that you can get on the table fast.
This soup is amazing the first time but it also reheats very well. I usually put it on the menu early in the week and then heat up bowls for my lunch later in the week. Yum!
Make Delicious Beef Minestrone Soup in 30 Minutes
Summertime in Boise is good and hot so when the first crisp fall air blows through I’m quick to jump back into big bowls of comforting soup! When it comes to fall and winter dinners you can’t beat soup!
It is:
- Easy
- Filling
- Healthy
- Cost effective
- Great for stretching a pound of hamburger!
This is one of my go to fast soups for dinner in a hurry. There are several tricks in the recipe that save a bunch of time. I microwave the celery a bit to give it a head start. And I use canned mushrooms when I don’t have fresh on hand or time to slice them. (Life changing secrets right here, people!)
Other Vegetables To Put in Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup was traditionally made to use up whatever vegetables were left! The vegetables listed in this minestrone soup recipe are my favorites but you can certainly use whatever you happen to have on hand! The best vegetables for minestrone include:
- tomatoes
- onions
- mushrooms
- carrots
- celery
- potatoes
- beans
- peas
- zucchini
- shredded cabbage
- And some people swear by green beans here – I’m not personally a green beans in soup kinda girl but I could see the allure!
The Best Kinds of Meat for Easy Minestrone Soup
I love the strong, bold flavor of this Minestrone soup recipe. Because it has plenty of flavor you can use just about any ground meat in it that you like. My favorite is beef but you can use ground turkey or chicken here easily.
Whatever kind you use, make sure to include the meat drippings. Fat carries flavor and in this case the soup gets its richness from that bit of meat fat fat.
More Fast Dinners Perfect for Winter
- 15 Minute Easy Alfredo Sauce
- 20 Minute Cheese Taco Soup
- Easy Clam Chowder from Scratch in 30 Minutes
- One Pan Sausage Alfredo
Beef Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes 15oz each
- 3 stalks celery diced + 2 cups water
- 4 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons beef bouillon Better than Bouillon preferred
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning I use a freeze dried blend for better flavor
- 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper coarsely ground
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 1 can white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 can mushroom stems and pieces 6.5oz drained (see note)
- 1 pound hamburger with 15%-20% fat no more than 20% fat (see note)
- 1 cup spiral pasta
Suggested Toppings
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add contents of both cans of tomatoes including juice to a large soup pot. Use an immersion blender to puree.
- Dice celery and put in microwave safe bowl with 2 cups of water. Microwave on high for 5-8 minutes until celery is fork tender. When the celery is done add it to the pot along with remaining water.
- To the tomatoes add 4 cups water, bouillon, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add the beans. Bring to a boil on high and then turn down to a rapid simmer.
- Preheat a large skillet over high heat - cast iron if you have one. Add the olive oil, butter, diced onion and drained or fresh mushrooms. Once it starts to brown turn it down to medium-high and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. When it is done, add to soup.
- Brown the hamburger in a cast iron on medium-high heat. Add it along with all the drippings to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil again and then add the pasta. Simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Adjust as necessary. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
- Leftover soup keeps well for up to a week in the refrigerator. If you make it without pasta it freezes well. The leftovers taste amazing!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in September of 2014. It was updated with new photos and information in September of 2020.
Suey
Mirlandra your photos look so good!!
Mirlandra
Thank you! I have been studying!!!
E.A.
I really must ask – why the inverted cooking process and microwave? Isn’t it much more flavorful to sautee the onion/celery/beef/mushrooms together first with some fresh garlic & carrot, then add the tomatoes, beans & seasonings straight to that and simmer?
Mirlandra
It is a time thing more than anything else. My goal here was a flavorful, family friendly soup that could be ready in 30 minutes. In general if I have all the time in the world to put a soup together I would make it the way you describe and use fresh mushrooms etc. However, this is really intended to be thrown together and ready in a jiffy. Last week we had a late afternoon meeting that ran later than expected. We were starving and our toddler was pretty sure he was going to expire on the spot if he did not have food! As soon as our meeting wrapped I tossed this together and we were at the table eating in 30 minutes. I don’t feel that this soup lacks in flavor for the unusual process except in the lack of fresh mushrooms. But – to each their own. If you end up making it another way let me know what you think! I’m a firm believer in people finding great ways to change recipes to suit them personally and am always curious to see how other people like things.