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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!
Table of Contents
Classic Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup – One of my family’s all time favorites!
When we were in the States last winter we stopped in at a little place on the I-15 that we have driven by countless times. Oh, don’t ask me where or what it’s called, but it’s a rest stop that has a small little town by it. I would know it to look at it and while we always stop to stretch our legs, we’ve never eaten at the small roadside restaurant. Until this last trip, that is.
While everything on the menu was nice, not fancy, just a decent clubhouse and salad, the soup of the day reminded me of one of my very favorite, old fashioned soups that I hadn’t eaten in years.
I forgot how much I love a Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup. Oh man, is it ever one of my favorites! It has been on my list to make ever since then – which was way back in January.
I rarely make soup that’s not in a crock pot. I think that most soups are improved by letting them simmer all day, the flavorings melding together in ways that a quick 20 minute simmer just doesn’t achieve. Plus you have that little happy thought in your head all day long that your dinner is going to be just amazing when you get home! Doesn’t it make a difference in your mood, knowing that you have a hot, delicious supper waiting for you? I think that’s why I love my crock pot so much.
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!
This is truly a comfort food. The day I made this Mike was sick with a cold, tired and achy and it literally made his day to have some of this soup. It was also a snowy day, which always makes me pull out the crock pot and clear a permanent space on the counter for it. It won’t leave the counter again until spring now!
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’m going to go ahead and say eeewwww to that. I’m such a pro.
- 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.
Can I tell you a secret?
The whole blinkin’ family ate this.
I am astonished. I cannot believe my daughter ate this. Loved this. Ate it for lunch the next day. Needless to say this is definitely on THE ROTATION list. I wrote that in caps because that is the really important list, the list where we all love a dish, it’s easy to make, not too unhealthy and saves my sanity.
It’s sadly a really, really short list with my picky eaters.
I really hope you give this classic a whirl!
Happy cooking everyone!
Love you more than THE ROTATION list,
Karlynn
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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
- 421
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups very strong beef broth
- 1- 28 ounces can Chopped Tomatoes
- 1- 28 ounces 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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Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Some other delicious recipes to try:
Amanda says
I think my kiddos would absolutely love this!!
April says
By far my favorite
Soup recipe! I’ve made it five times this winter already!
Sharon S. says
Hi! I made the beef & tomatoe macaroni soup and the whole family loved it! I used the pressure cooker because I decided to make it at the last minute. The ingredients are items most people have in the kitchen everyday and t was so so simple to make. This will definitely be a dinner or lunch that we will be having a few more times over the winter months. Thanks Karlynn!
Lily Brdaric says
My, my, my. Such a lovely recipe! My 6 year old twins love it! As a working mum, this is great to make, as you end up with quite a large pot full of food. Dinners throughout the week are easily taken care of. I didn’t have raw garlic so substituted minced garlic from a jar, added tonnes of it, and it tastes delish. I also added extra dry pasta so as to have it thicker for my kidlets. I didn’t slow cook (as I hadn’t read the recipe right through). So I cranked up the gas to high, and in less than an hour, I had a healthy meal ready for the kids. I imagine it would taste just as great subbing lentils, rice, or risotto. Definitely a keeper of a recipe. Yum!
Dawn E says
Just wondering can this recipe be frozen?
Karlynn Johnston says
I would freeze it with the noodles JUST in the soup – don’t let them cook longer.
Noodles can come out funny after being frozen.
Dawn E says
Can this recipe be frozen?
Ash says
Beef and Macaroni soup reminds me of my childhood. This tasted just like
Mom’s!
Margaret D says
Will make this tomorrow! Looks like a yummy soul food cold weather recipe! Let you know how it turns out!
Gil Livesay says
90 today in Tampa (again) but made this for the staff kitchen, even if not “soup weather.” Can’t wait to share it. Love simple, straightforward recipes like this.
Karlynn Johnston says
Simple is always the best. I can also eat soup no matter the temperature outside!
Liz says
Saw your video on Facebook and had to make this. Just like moms! Thanks for the recipe!
Barbalicious says
My mom used to make this all the time, it was cheap and filling for a family of 6! I’ll be making this asap!
Lilibeth says
This is a great recipe all on its lonesome but today, I experimented a little.
I ran out of beef stock and had to use 1/2 chicken stock (boo) but added a little extra Worcestershire sauce to beef it up. Then I added a cup of carrots and lots of kale to give it a little more texture. I left out the ketchup since the carrots made it sweeter and finished the soup with some good olive oil after pouring them into the bowls. It was so hearty and delicious! Thanks for a great baseline for many delicious interpretations of soup!
Karlynn Johnston says
Yes, you can customize it to your liking! Thanks for letting me know you liked it!
Barbalicious says
I like the sound of the carrots in it!
Michelle says
Hi, would it be ok to use whole grain elbow noodles in this recipe? Or does it change taste? I usually have those on hand. Thanks:)
Lilibeth says
Michelle,
That’s what I normally use on it and it seems to work out just as well as the regular macaroni, if not a little bit more al dente. It’s kind of a nice in the soup for a little texture contrast. Admittedly, I make mine in my electric pressure cooker so that may make a difference as well.
April says
Ah-mazing! This is seriously the best beef and tomato macaroni soup everrrrrrrr! THANKS for the recipe!
Karlynn Johnston says
Thank you!!!
Maxine says
I can’t wait for winter! This was the best beef macaroni soup ever! Even the picky kids ate it!
Karlynn Johnston says
WIN!
April says
FANTASTIC! I can’t wait to make this allll fall and winter long! Maybe even all summer as well! The best recipe for tomato beef soup!
Angela curavoo says
This. Was awesome loved it
Karlynn Johnston says
Glad you loved it!
Dave says
Made this, but I used San Marsano tomato filets and whole peeled San Marsano tomatoes. Only needed one Tbs. of brown sugar. Added fresh basil and sliced mushrooms too. Used the beef broth concentrate to intensify the beef flavor. Served this to 6 people and they devoured it like I’ve never seen. Served it with a crusty italian bread.
Karlynn Johnston says
I am so glad it was a hit!! It’s my very favourite soup!
Jaylen Blanding says
I loved it I’m only 12 and I cooked my mom and brothers loved it
Karlynn Johnston says
Good job!!!
Carolyn Shaughnessy says
Yummy, I added one can of pasta sauce instead of whole tomatoes, 1 can of water for pasta, celery, parsley, shredded carrots for more vegetables. I cut macaroni to 1 1/4 cups so all ingredients more even. Turned out so fabulous, I will make it again. Great winter soup.
Karlynn Johnston says
Glad you loved it!
Janerudy2 says
Mmm this is in the cockpit as we speak 🙂 I used extra lean ground beef and no sugar, and it’s only 6 weight watchers Smart Points for one cup! Smells divine and I love how comforting it looks. My sister will be getting a bunch as a quick easy meal post baby.
Cheryl Wood-Porter says
I have this cooking in my crock pot just now….even needed to run out and buy a bigger crock pot as my small one spilled over lol
Heather Bader Kopp says
Thanks for posting this today. I have ground beef in the fridge that needed to be used up. I have a batch in my Instant Pot and we will be having it for lunch!
Heather Bader Kopp says
Thanks for posting this today. I had ground beef in the fridge that needed to get used up. I have a batch of it in my Instant Pot right now. Fingers crossed it will be ready to eat for lunch.
Tcvcaf says
Did you you cook this on low or medium on the slow cooker function OR did you convert to IP? Making this now and any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Kathy MacDonald says
Made this three weeks ago. Hubby loved it and requested it again last week. I made so much, I took a pot to my neighbor…who didn’t even share with her kids!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Lol oh my goodness!! Glad it was a hit!
Beverly Martin says
This was soooo freaking good! I had 3 bowls the first day and 2 the second. The kiddo and the BF loved it too!
The Kitchen Magpie says
SO glad that you tried it and loved it!!
Shanleigh Rice says
Add salsa and use left over Mac and cheese and few other tweaks and this was my Dad Mexican soup
It wasn’t my fav when I was little but now that he has passed I wish I could have it with him one more time
Around the World in 80 Cupcakes says
This was a regular when I ran daycare from my home. I’d sneak in all kinds of yummy things like lentils and sprouted grains and beans
Amber Dawn says
We call this hangover soup. Haha.
William Mcgar says
I’m hungry let’s eat.