Mom's Chili Soup Recipe (Cowboy Soup)

Next tim try this New Orleans Chicken & Sausage Gumbo!!

🧾 Ingredients

Y'all, I'm sharing a recipe that's near and dear to my heart. I think you'll love it, too. Here's what you'll need -

• Ground beef used is 90/10. I like to use a lean ground beef because the soup doesn't develop a greasy layer. Use what you like.
• Kidney beans should be precooked. I use dark red, canned kidney beans. Be sure to rinse and drain them before using. You could substitute pinto beans if you like.
• Green Bell pepper adds fresh vegetable flavor. You could use red or yellow peppers if you like.
• Onion used in this recipe is a white onion because it has a stronger flavor. You can use yellow if you prefer.
• Celery is optional but I think it adds to the bright, fresh flavor of this soup.
• Canned stewed tomatoes are different than just cans of tomatoes. They are a little sweeter and fresher tasting. You can substitute regular tomatoes in a pinch but it's much better with the stewed tomatoes.
• Vegetable juice cocktail (V-8 or similar) is what I use as the liquid because it adds flavor and nutritional value.
• Chili powder is used sparingly. This is not a spicy, Texas style chili. Try my homemade chili powder.
• Cumin is just regular ground cumin.
• Macaroni that my mom always used was the elbow macaroni but I use small shells sometimes, too.

Make it stretch

Hearty cowboy soup is a very forgiving recipe. There are lots of substitutions you can make and it's easy to stretch.

• Use all beans
• No ground beef? Use ground turkey, ground pork, ground venison, ground chicken, or shredded leftover meat or poultry
• Add cooked diced potatoes
• Add corn
• No tomatoes? Use beef broth, vegetable broth, V-8, or watered down marinara
• Any shaped pasta is fine but you could use rice, bulghur, quinoa, or other grain instead
• Add leftover vegetables

💭 Tips for success

You really don't need much else on the table when you serve this easy soup recipe; maybe a loaf of sourdough bead to soak up the broth. Another really quick and easy meal is this slow cooker meatballs recipe - no need to precook the meatballs!

• Chili soup will be better the second day - you can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• It freezes well so you might as well make the biggest batch of it that you can.
• You can also adjust the amounts of the ingredients to make it stretch further, or use less meat and more beans, or whatever you like.
• Make it on top of the stove or in the slow cooker - if you're making it in the slow cooker you really only need to cook it on low for 2 hours or so - then leave it on warm.
• Chili powder spice level varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from batch to batch. For best results always taste as you go.
• Always rinse and drain the beans before using.

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

🔪 Instructions

This is a simple soup to make because you are basically just adding cooked ingredients and simmering.

1. Heat a skillet and add oil.
2. Bowl the ground beef.
3. Add the peppers onions, and celery.
4. Add stewed tomatoes to a large pot over medium heat.
5. Add the beans and remaining ingredients.
6. Simmer.

📚 Related recipes

Comfort food is the best because it usually serves up some memories right along with every bite. I grew up eating this chili and cabbage rolls almost every week.

Here are some more of my favorites - I hope they'll be your favorites, too!

• Chicken Cacciatore is a spicy, tangy tomato sauce full of fresh herbs, pungent garlic, and rich chicken. Serve hot over your favorite pasta for a warming, filling dish that whispers "comfort food"
• Stuffed Pepper Soup has all of the flavor of stuffed peppers in a hearty soup that can be made in the slow cooker or on top of the stove. Ro*Tel tomatoes add a little kick.
• White Chicken Chili is so creamy! It's packed with white beans, chicken, and cheese. Make it in the slow cooker or on top of the stove.
• Cowboy Casserole is an easy weeknight meal. Ground beef, corn, and peppers are in a creamy cheesy sauce topped with tater tots and more cheese.
• This traditional potato soup is quick and easy - it was my grandmother's recipe.
• Learn how to make crackers with this easy recipe. You'll have fresh saltines for all your soup suppers!

More soup recipes

📞 The last word

This midwestern style chili soup is more tomato-y and has a thinner sauce, more like a broth. The chili is less pronounced and the flavors are fresher; bell peppers, onions, tomatoes... Each spoonful is full of vegetables, macaroni, beef, and kidney beans for a hearty meal that is somewhere between a soup and a stew.

My mom had a tradition of making this homemade soup on the first cold day of fall.

Even when I was married and in my own home she'd call me up to tell me that she had a big pot of chili on the stove and I should bring the kids over when those first chilly days of fall hit here in Texas..

That's one of the hardest things about losing someone who cooked for you. You all of a sudden realize that no matter what you do you'll never taste that dish again.

Oh, you may replicate it but it's never going to taste exactly the way your mom, grandma, or aunt made it. I don't know if you've experienced that but there are times when it leaves me with a deep longing that I just have to work through.

We always called it midwestern style chili but recently my cousin remembered it being called cowboy soup. Either way this family favorite is delicious!

This? It's my go to comfort food. So, you can argue that this is chili mac soup and isn't real chili if you want but while you do...

I will be finishing off your bowl.

Next time try my favorite quick & easy lasagna soup or this crack chicken chili.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

4.46 from 22 votes

Cowboy Soup

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This kid friendly cowboy soup recipe is budget friendly but sure doesn't taste like it! Beans, beef, and macaroni are packed into a hearty tomato broth for a soup with plenty of flavor. It's very different from the Texas style chili you might be used to but once you try it you'll be hooked.

Course Main Dish - Ground Beef

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings:10

Calories:508

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ lbs ground beef, browned
• ▢ 4 cups red kidney beans, cooked
• ▢ 2 cups onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 bell peppers, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup celery, sliced
• ▢ 1 quart vegetable juice, v-8 or similar
• ▢ 42 ounces stewed tomatoes, 3 cans
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked

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Instructions

Stovetop Instructions

• Put a little oil in a heavy skillet and heat it up.
• Add the beef and brown it.
• Add salt and pepper while it's cooking.
• Add in the chopped green peppers, onions, and celery.
• Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften.
• Put a heavy stockpot on the heat.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans, browned meat mixture, and seasonings.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Add the cooked macaroni and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes more.
• Serve.

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Add all ingredients except macaroni to a crock pot and simmer for 8 hours.
• About 30 minutes before serving cook the pasta, drain it, and add it to the simmering chili.
• Allow flavors to blend another 30 minutes or so.

Notes

• This chili will be better the second day - you can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• It freezes well so you might as well make the biggest batch of it that you can.
• You can also adjust the amounts of the ingredients to make it stretch further, or use less meat and more beans, or whatever you like.
• Make it on top of the stove or in the slow cooker - if you're making it in the slow cooker you really only need to cook it on low for 2 hours or so - then leave it on warm.
• Chili powder varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from batch to batch. Always taste as you go.
• Always rinse and drain the beans before using.

Make it Stretch

This is a very forgiving recipe. There are lots of substitutions you can make and it's easy to stretch.

• Use all beans
• No ground beef? Use ground turkey, ground pork, ground venison, ground chicken, or shredded leftover meat or poultry
• Add cooked diced potatoes
• Add corn
• No tomatoes? Use beef broth, vegetable broth, V-8, or watered down marinara
• Any shaped pasta is fine but you could use rice, bulghur, quinoa, or other grain instead
• Add leftover vegetables

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 1144mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2226IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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First published April 10, 2015. Last updated September 13, 2021 for more information and updated instructions.