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This hearty cowboy soup combines your favorite Tex-Mex ingredients like ground beef, beans, vegetables, and smoky seasonings. Bring the wild west to your kitchen with this budget-friendly and filling soup! It makes great leftovers and is full of healthy ingredients, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
Love hearty soups? Try ground turkey vegetable soup, sweet and spicy chili, or Italian meatball soup next.
Cowboy soup is a hearty combination of meat, vegetables, and savory broth that even the hungriest cowboys will enjoy. It features a meat and potatoes base with a touch of Tex Mex seasoning to match the flavors out west. It’s my cowboy caviar in soup form!
Making a big batch of this soup is my favorite way to pack wholesome and nutritious ingredients into one meal. Recipes like healthy chicken tortilla soup, sweet potato chili and this cowboy stew pack in the vegetables in a rich flavorful, broth.
It’s a dump and go recipe you can easily convert to the crock pot or make into a freezer meal, which I love to do with this crock pot steak chili.
Save this easy recipe for whenever you’re feeding hungry cowboys, kiddos, or friends! And serve it with gluten-free cornbread for the perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for this cowboy soup recipe. Skip to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Ground beef: hamburger meat is where all the protein comes from. It’s my favorite cut of beef as we head back to school with busy schedules! Some of my weeknight staples include healthy sloppy joes and taco pasta.
- Mirepoux: a combination of onion, celery, and carrots. You could buy frozen mirepoix to save time.
- Potatoes: I used yukon gold, but I also like baby red potatoes.
- Tomatoes: diced tomatoes with juice or fire roasted tomatoes work.
- Corn: canned corn or fresh corn work.
- Broth: Beef stock or bone broth are great options for more nutrients.
- Spices: a mixture of smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and Italian seasoning create a smoky southwest flavor.
- Beans: I love black eyed peas but you can use any bean you have on hand.
Recipe Variations
- Leftover vegetables: This soup is a great way to use up veggies in the fridge before they go bad. You can try adding mushrooms, bell peppers, or even stir in spinach at the end.
- Different beans: try black beans, kidney beans, or chili beans.
- More spices: add taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, or more salt to taste.
- More heat: stir in some hot sauce, sriracha, red pepper flakes, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Low carb: swap the potatoes for cauliflower florets.
Love Tex-Mex recipes? Try Instant Pot taco soup, sweet potato beef taco skillet, or Mexican shredded beef next.
How to Make Cowboy Soup
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this cowboy hamburger soup. Skip to the recipe card for the printable version.
Step 1. Saute Vegetables. Cook the veggies in olive oil in a Dutch oven.
Step 2. Brown the Beef. Break up the ground beef with the veggies until no pink remains.
Step 3. Stir in Soup Ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and spices and stir well to combine.
Step 4. Simmer. Bring the cowboy soup to a boil over high heat then turn it down and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Expert Tips
- Get creative with the vegetables and canned foods you have on hand.
- Don’t overcook the soup! It’s ready when the potatoes are fork-tender. Overcooking can result in mushy potatoes.
- Use frozen mirepoix to save time chopping celery, onion, and carrots.
- Cowboy soup gets more flavorful as it sits overnight so store it overnight and enjoy it as leftovers! Add more broth as needed if the veggies absorb some of the liquid.
Can I Make it In the Crockpot or Instant Pot?
Yes! You can make this cowboy soup in both a slow cooker and crock pot.
Crock Pot Cowboy Soup: Brown the meat on the stove and add it to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 6-8 hours and enjoy!
Instant Pot Cowboy Soup: Saute the onion and celery on the saute setting then brown the meat. Add the remaining ingredients and pressure cook (manual) for 15 minutes with a quick release.
Make Ahead and Storage
Fridge: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Allow the soup to cool complete then transfer it to a freezer safe container or freezer bags. Label and date the bag then store flat in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through.
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Cowboy Soup
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic mined
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces (4 medium potatoes)
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 (14.5 -ounce) can green beans drained
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (15-ounce) can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn drained
- 4-6 cups beef broth I used 6 cups
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
- Toppings as desired see notes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 3 stalks celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the ground beef and brown until no pink remains. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, spices, and 4 cups of beef broth until combined. Add up to 2 cups more broth to reach desired consistency.2 lbs ground beef
- Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 14-16 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes as needed.1 lb yukon gold potatoes, 4 carrots, 1 (14.5 -ounce) can green beans, 3 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, 1 (15-ounce) can black eyed peas, 1 (15-ounce) can corn, 4-6 cups beef broth, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons chili powder, Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
- Serve hot with desired toppings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or covered in the microwave until heated through.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do the potatoes need to be peeled first?
Hey Beth! Nope, you can leave the peel on them. Just make sure to wash them well! You can peel them if you prefer though.
Yummy! I really liked how this turned out. all the ingredients go well together and make it a perfect warm stew. I will say however that I don’t think the time estimate is very close—says 30 minutes total, but it took me an hour. It was 25 minutes to prep alone. I’ll make this again, it makes a ton! I might try to freeze it and hopefully it freezes well.
Thanks Jackie!! Prep time is definitely subjective based on how fast/slow you are at chopping. You could use a frozen mirepoix next time to save time if you want to!
This was out of this WORLD. I will be eating it every day for lunch this week and look forward to it!!
Love that Lauren!! I think it’s even better as leftovers!
Made the soup for a lazy Sunday afternoon. My husband was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, learning what we can cook. Couldn’t have been better! Family loved it. Thank you!!!!
Thanks so much, Emily! I have tons of gluten-free recipes on my site and almost always share a gluten-free option:) Hope you find some more you love!
Came out great also added taco seasoning and diced green, red and yellow bell peppers for a little more flavor
Diced green onions sounds delish!
My husband loves soup me..not so much but this was more like chili so I loved it too! The only problem was the gold potatoes. Golds take a really long time to cook and I know that so I wish I had trusted my knowledge about them and substituted white potatoes. Other than that it was truly delicious!
Hey there! Did you cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces? You shouldn’t be boiling them whole or they will take a while. I had no problem getting these fork-tender in the alotted time for this soup or my other veggie soups.
Crockpot cooking times need an edit. Why cook on low less time then cooking on high?
“ Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 6-8 hours and enjoy!”
Looks like a great recipe.
Hi Gail! You’re right, that was a typo:) It’s updated!