Ground Beef Minestrone Soup
This one-pan, 30-minute ground beef minestrone soup is a fall and winter favorite, packed with savory ground beef, hearty vegetables, pasta, and a rich, flavorful broth. It’s an easy, comforting meal that comes together in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you need a hearty, family-friendly dinner without spending all evening in the kitchen!
Minestrone Soup with Ground Beef
I was talking with my mother-in-law the other day about how much she loves minestrone soup and my son who is a teenager said he had never had minestrone soup. I am a food blogger and he’s never had minestrone soup?! I felt like a failure, so of course, the very next day, I was determined to make a from scratch minestrone soup that would knock the socks of my teenager.
Traditional minestrone soup is usually vegetarian, but that’s not how we do things in a ranching household with a house full of boys. So, I quite literally beefed this recipe up. 😉 The family loved this recipe and gave it a 9/10 – which I was pleased with because it has a lot of vegetable in it. The key was for me to make it super flavorful and dice the vegetables into small pieces so that each bite wasn’t overpowering with a specific flavor. I think I made such a great version and hopefully you do too!
The Cowboys’ Rating: 9/10
Every time I make a new recipe, I have my family rate the recipe out of 10. By the time, these recipes make the blog, they’ve been tried and tested by some of my hardest tiny critics!
Helpful Ingredient Tips
- Ground Beef – As always, we use our own homegrown ground beef that is grass-finished and regeneratively raised. It’s delicious, lean and so good. Our ground beef is 90/10 and I never have to drain off a bunch of fat.
- Diced Tomatoes – I used small petite diced tomatoes so that the tomato pieces were as small as possible.
- Beef Broth – This is going to be the base of your soup.
- Cannellini Beans – Cannellini beans are large, white Italian beans with a mild, nutty flavor and a creamy texture. They’re commonly used in minestrone soup, pasta dishes, and stews because they hold their shape while adding a hearty, creamy bite.
- Light Red Kidney Beans – These have a firmer texture and hold their shape well while simmering. They add a little more bite to the soup, along with protein, fiber, and nutrients.
- Together: Using both gives your minestrone soup a better variety of textures, making it more filling and satisfying. They also add extra protein and fiber alongside the ground beef and vegetables.
- Zucchini
- Yellow Squash – I love using both zucchini and yellow squash because they add beautiful color and a little variety to the soup. They have a mild, slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with the ground beef, beans, and tomatoes while adding even more hearty vegetables to every bowl!
- Carrots – Carrots add a touch of natural sweetness that helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and round out the flavors of the soup.
- Ditalini Pasta – This is the really small cylinder-shaped pasta that is commonly used in salads.
seasonings
- Onion Powder
- Minced Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
Tools You’ll Need
Ground Beef Minestrone Soup Recipe
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned and fully cooked, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
- Dice the zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the oil and diced vegetables to the pot with the ground beef. Sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and light red kidney beans. Add them to the pot along with the beef broth, tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir well to combine and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Stir in 1 cup of ditalini pasta. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender. Start checking around 8 minutes to prevent the pasta from becoming mushy.
- Remove from the heat and serve warm. Enjoy!
How to Make This Recipe Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, you will want to substitute regular ditalini pasta for a gluten free ditalini pasta. I found some on Amazon that you can get here.
Storage and Reheating
Storage
Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that the pasta may soften after freezing and thawing.
Reheating
Stovetop: Pour the soup into a pot and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Add a splash of beef broth or water if the soup has thickened too much.
Microwave: Place a serving in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30–60 second intervals, stirring between each, until heated through. Add a little extra broth if needed to thin the soup.
How to Make Ground Beef Minestrone Soup a Freezer Meal
to Freeze:
- Cook the ground beef until browned and fully cooked. Drain any excess grease and allow it to cool.
- Dice the zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the cooked ground beef, diced vegetables, drained and rinsed cannellini beans, drained and rinsed light red kidney beans, beef broth, tomatoes, and seasonings to a gallon-size freezer bag.
- Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and lay flat to freeze. Leave the ditalini pasta out of the freezer bag to prevent it from becoming mushy.
to cook:
- Thaw the freezer meal completely in the refrigerator overnight.
- Pour the contents of the bag into a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the soup is heated through.
- Stir in 1 cup of ditalini pasta. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender.
- If the soup becomes too thick, add a little extra beef broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Try More of My Easy Recipes
Ground Beef Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (lean, 90/10)
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup diced yellow squash
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 32 oz. beef broth
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 15 oz. light red kidney beans
- 15 oz. cannellini beans
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned and fully cooked, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
- Dice the zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Add the oil and diced vegetables to the pot with the ground beef. Sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and light red kidney beans. Add them to the pot along with the beef broth, tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir well to combine and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Stir in 1 cup of ditalini pasta. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender. Start checking around 8 minutes to prevent the pasta from becoming mushy.
- Remove from the heat and serve warm. Enjoy!
