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 reliable Cowboy Soup!
Cowboy soup is the ultimate hearty, throw-it-all-in-one-pot kind of meal, packed with ground beef and veggies. You can 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, straightforward 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. |
the cook’s Notes
Serving Suggestions
Cowboy soup is hearty enough on its own, so You can keep the sides simple. My favorites are:
- Buttered cornbread for dipping
- Crusty (toasted) bread or a baguette with lots of butter
- from-scratch biscuits if you want something extra comforting
- a reliable 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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