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This macaroni soup recipe is simple to make, warming, and inexpensive! It’s loaded with plenty of veggies and ground beef, and it has a delicious tomato broth.
You may also like my Easy Hamburger Soup or Minestrone Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
I love this hamburger macaroni soup because it’s both healthy and satisfying. The combo of protein-carbs-fiber will keep you full for hours. This is a great dairy-free soup as well. It’s also just plain tasty, so you should be able to keep picky eaters happy with this one!
Affordable ground beef recipes made with pantry staples are always a good idea. Add in some carrots, corn, and fresh spinach, and it’s a soup that’s family friendly and cozy. Much of the cooking time is hands off, so this beef macaroni soup is fuss free.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – tasty aromatics. I like sweet (Vidalia) or yellow onions here.
- Ground beef – we’re using lean
- Celery, carrots, and spinach – plenty of veggie goodness
- Beef broth – for deeper savory taste
- Canned goods – fire-roasted tomatoes and corn add so much flavor, and they’re super convenient
- Italian seasoning – this all-purpose blend of dried herbs comes in a single jar
- Pasta – macaroni is great in soups since it’s bite sized
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this cast iron Dutch oven.
- Need a sturdy ladle with less spilling? I like this OXO ladle.
- Mince garlic effortlessly with one squeeze of a garlic press.
How to make macaroni soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large pot, sauté the onion and beef in the oil until browned. Spoon out most of the fat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant.
Add in the rest of the ingredients apart from the macaroni, spinach, and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer to soften the veggies. Stir in the macaroni.
Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through. Give it a taste, season with salt & pepper, and then stir in the spinach until it wilts.
Substitutions and variations
- This beef and tomato macaroni soup is pretty forgiving! Feel free to add/swap veggies as needed. For example, try kale instead of spinach if you prefer.
- If you want this soup to have more pasta, I suggest adding another cup of water or broth and increase the pasta to 1 cup (uncooked).
- Some readers like to use half beef, half Italian sausage.
What to serve with macaroni soup
- It’s a nice all-in-one meal, so you can just serve it with fresh bread to round out this soup. I like French bread or sourdough.
- A salad is always a good idea. Try my homemade Olive Garden Dressing, or make this easy Creamy Pesto Dressing to change it up.
Leftovers and storage
- Store for 3-4 days in the fridge, covered. Keep in mind that the pasta will soak up the broth the longer you leave it. You may need to add more beef broth to leftovers if you find they’re a bit too dry.
- If you’re planning on eating most of it later or freezing the bulk of this recipe, I suggest adding the pasta when reheating it so that it doesn’t get soggy.
I hope you will enjoy this simple beef and macaroni soup! Leave me a star rating and review below if you made it, and tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 sticks celery chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots peeled & sliced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (12 ounce) can corn drained
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup uncooked macaroni
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, onion, and beef to a large soup pot. Cook for about 7 minutes over medium-high heat, breaking the beef up as you go along. Spoon out most of the excess fat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the macaroni, spinach, and salt & pepper.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let the soup simmer (covered, with the lid slightly open) for 10 minutes.
- Add the macaroni in and continue to simmer until it's tender (about 12-15 minutes). You may need to increase the heat to get it going again. Cover the pot again with the lid slightly open. I stir the soup a couple of times while it's cooking so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed and stir in the spinach (let it wilt). Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- This soup is quite chunky and the pasta will soak up the broth the longer it sits, so you may need to add extra beef broth to leftovers. Another option is to cook the pasta separately if you know you will be having lots of leftovers or plan on freezing the bulk of the soup. If you want this soup to be more pasta-heavy, add another cup of water or broth and increase the pasta to 1 cup uncooked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on February 2, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
THANK YOU FOR THIS HEAVENLY SOUP!!
I did do half ground beef half sausage !! So darn good !
Hubby got seconds. 🩷
That’s wonderful to hear, Heather!! 😀 Thanks for your 5-star review!!
Absolutely love this soup. Hearty and very tasty.
Thanks, Nance! 😀
Wondering if I could do it in the crockpot? Looks yummy hoping to try soon…
I’d still do the searing steps on the stove. Then add the macaroni 30-60 minutes prior to serving.
I plan on making this soup but I thnk I’ll make it with italian sausage instead of the ground beef, the sausage will give it more flavor.
For sure! Let me know how it goes!
My whole family loved this!!!!✅
Fantastic!! 😀 Thank you, Jessica!
Can this soup be frozen?
I don’t love freezing soups with cooked pasta.
What is the serving size for the nutrition you have at the bottom? I love your recipes!
Hi! Thank you! 🙂 It’s 1/6 of the soup in this case (each recipe will list the total servings in the recipe card). As to what that is in grams/oz/etc. I am not sure – I’m not a trained nutritionist and simply use the info that the recipe card software generates for an estimate.
One of the best soup recipes I have ever made! My family looove it.
Have it on average once a week.
Perfect for our ‘winter’ here in Australia.
Thanks again – look forward to all of your new recipes.
That’s wonderful to hear!! 🙂 Thank you, Marina!
So delicious and so easy! We all loved it. Will definitely be making it again.
Wonderful!! Thank you!
In your soup recipes it says onion. Can you tell what
Color onion to buy? Red, yellow?
Thanks
It doesn’t really matter. In general, for cooking, I use sweet (Vidalia) or yellow onions. White would be fine too. I tend to stick to using red onions for raw applications (like salads).