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This Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup is one of the best soups you can make, especially for colder weather as it warms you right up. It’s easy to make and a classic from my childhood. I hope you like it!
Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup is super easy to make
What I love about this method is that you pre-cook the noodles (morning of, day before, it doesn’t matter) and then you add them in at the end of the day, just long enough to heat them up. The soup simmers all day long if you want, then when you come home, you have it waiting for you. Just add the pre-made noodles and there’s dinner!
Precooked noodles make this a snap!
Precook your noodles the day before or the morning of and just add them in during the process at the end to heat them up. It’s that easy!
Other Delicious Beef Soup Recipes
Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup Tips & Tricks
- My biggest suggestion for this recipe is to drain and rinse the ground beef. You can see that this soup has a bit of grease in it (and oh…that is what makes it so lovely!) but a lot of recipes don’t even have you drain it. I suggest doing so as you don’t want a ton of grease in your soup.
- The stronger the beef broth the more beefy your soup will end up and a little extra Worcestershire sauce helps with that as well! I prefer adding in dry macaroni 30 minutes before serving but if you are in a time crunch at the end of the day, pre-cook and then add the pasta in.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Classic Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 8 hours
- Total Time
- 8 hours 15 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- Soup
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 385
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups beef broth very strong
- One 28 ounce can Chopped Tomatoes
- One 28 ounce can whole Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar to taste if you have a sweeter ketchup you may not need it
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups cooked elbow macaroni OR 2 cups dry macaroni to add in at the end
- salt and pepper as desired
Instructions
Crockpot Directions
- In a medium frying pan, brown the ground beef, onion and garlic until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease (I also like to rinse it with hot water to remove most of the grease) and place in a large crockpot.
- Add the broth, cans of chopped and whole tomatoes, Worcestershire, ketchup,brown sugar (if wanted) and Italian seasoning. Add more sugar and Worcestershire to taste if needed. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- When you are ready to serve, either add the dry macaroni and let cook for 20-25 minutes OR add cooked macaroni. Let the macaroni heat through and serve!
Instant Pot Directions
- Press the saute button and fry the ground beef and onions until the beef is no longer pink. Add in the garlic. Fry for another minute or so. Drain the grease.
- Use the Instant Pot like the slow cooker, using the slow cook button and the instructions above OR
- Add in the remaining ingredients except for the macaroni. Cook on the SOUP setting for 10 minutes. ( this really helps get the beef flavor going.) Release the pressure manually.
- Add the DRY macaroni, (not cooked or it will be mush!) then cook for 10 minutes on the SOUP setting again. Release manually or with the NPR ( naturally)
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Kim Motiuk says
I’m making this recipe this weekend!
JKVA says
Do the whole tomatoes break down during cooking, or am I supposed to chop them up a bit? Also, is there a particular brand of beef broth that is ‘stronger’ than others? TIA
thekitchenmagpie says
@JKVA I make my own using boullion powder, it’s a lot easier to control the strength and flavour! You can chop up the tomatoes at the end if they don’t break down enough for your liking as well, we like big chunks in ours!
TammyLynnMason says
Sounds very good. When does the ketchup get added in? I don’t see it in the instructions.
dobeman says
TammyLynnMason It’s listed in step 2 of the instructions (Add the broth, cans of chopped and whole tomatoes, Worcestershire,
ketchup,brown sugar (if wanted) and Italian seasoning. Add more sugar
and Worcestershire to taste if needed.) I like ketchup but love Heniz chili sauce and I use it for any and all things that I would normally use ketchup for and it would work great in this delicious and satisfying comfort food recipe.
Hi Karlynn, I haven’t seen your website before and I like all that I see including your recipes and your entertaining writing! I used to live in Calgary but now I live on the BC coast where your recent road trip took you.
Sheryl Connor says
This is a recipe that I have been looking for. Questions? Have you ever tried chicken wings or a fryer cut up (boiled and season) instead of ground beef? I can not wait to try you recipe above looks very delicious specially with Jalapeno corn bread.
thekitchenmagpie says
Sheryl Connor No… I have tried ground turkey, which is excellent. You need a good ground meat in this soup for that great texture. You could use plain chicken meat, but it would be missing that texture.
Jennifer Nicole says
We adore this recipe! It’s easy and very flavorful.
Coralee Flug says
The cafe in Rycroft served and it was always my favorite.
Tammy Strausbaugh Wilfong says
Discovered your recipe over a year ago and fell in love with this soup. I make it as often as I can and would eat it for all three meals of the day if I could! It’s that good!!
Alana Meisner says
I genuinely feel like every recipe you post is my childhood. I grew up in Fort Saskatchewan and am making all these recipes for my own family now! You are my go to for supper ideas. Will all these recipes be in your new cook book?
The Kitchen Magpie says
My cookbook is all desserts, but hey, who knows what cookbook #2 is!!
Alana Meisner says
Well I happen to love deserts too so I’ll happily buy cookbook #1 and look forward to #2!!
Donna McComb says
made this a couple weeks ago and loved it
Patt Cherry-Harris says
Had this as a kid. I loved it and I still do.
Kimberley Tremblay says
Ive never had it!!! lol I will have to make it now though. I LOVE meaty soups!!!
KathyJones3 says
Using a whole-grain elbow macaroni (3 times more fiber) would make this a pretty healthy soup. One of my fave restaurants features this as a daily soup choice. It’s their most popular soup! My mom called this Goulash Soup.
Gina says
I am making this today! My Mom used to make this……it was so good! We called always called it Hunky Junk : )
kc92004 says
Do you add the ketchup when you add the tomatoes aND everything else?
kc92004 says
Do you drain the cans of tomatoes or no?
The Kitchen Magpie says
Oh shoot I didn’t see this!!! It’s up now, sorry 🙁
Julie Post says
I was planning to make this tonight…curious how long the website will be down for maintenance. Maybe I need a plan b? 🙂
Vern Ledger says
Like this! Never used the crock pot though!!
Kelsie Kelly says
Made this tonight! My kids love it so it’s on regular rotation in our house:)
Amy Melby says
I made your Turkey Lasagna soup last week but with ground beef and tortellini (plus added spinach) and it was so good!! Family raved! Success!
John Martin says
Not this one cuz! lol….looks like death for me.
Debbie Baker says
Here is a picture of some we made before .We added mushrooms and peas .Yum
Cheryl Sprague Fernstrom says
Yes I do! Aptly named indeed. Kept the martins alive.
Debbie Baker says
Me and my husband love to cook together always look for new stuff to make together. Will be making this today when he gets home.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Once you start you can’t stop! So easy and so good!
Cindy Martin Trahan says
John Martin, Lyn Richard Cheryl Sprague Fernstrom Peg Miller … The infamous “Poor people soup”. Remember how John named it this … LOL
Debbie Baker says
I make this all the time now.Love it super easy .
Kendall Perkins-Virus says
I add carrots, celery and peas too
Susan Forbes says
This must be delicious!
Michelle says
This is a wonderful classic soup my mom made a lot in winter and when I married it became a staple I n my home too. Thanks for bringing a smile on my face…my crockpot is on the kitchen counter now to make beef and macaroni soup. 🙂
LoriRobicheau says
I tried this with whole wheat macaroni and the macaroni fell a part into little pieces. It ruined the soup does anybody know why.
thekitchenmagpie says
LoriRobicheau Whole wheat pasta is generally sturdier than white, not the opposite. It must be the brand OR perhaps a rice pasta and not whole wheat? Whole Wheat Pasta usually holds up amazing in soups, I use it all the time.