Classic Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup

4.83 from 41 votes

Classic Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup

This beefy tomato and macaroni soup is a hearty, delicious meal that my Grandma used to make! This vintage recipe is so easy to make in your slow cooker, stove top or Instant Pot.

Prep Time25

Cook Time8

Total Time8 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Soup

Servings:

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic minced
6 cups beef broth very strong
one 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
one 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
½ cup ketchup
1 ½ 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

Slow Cooker Directions

In a medium frying pan, sauté the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the grease, leaving some in the pan for the onions, and place the ground beef into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Sauté the onions until tender-crisp, then add the garlic. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is browned and fragrant. Place in the slow cooker.
Add the beef broth, cans of tomatoes, Worcestershire, ketchup, brown sugar, and Italian seasoning to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. 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, add the dry macaroni and let it cook in the slow cooker for 20-25 minutes. You can also add pre-cooked macaroni to the soup and let it heat through.

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.
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 according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Cooking the pasta in the soup at the end thickens the soup a bit with pasta starches, so if you want a clearer, thinner soup, add the precooked pasta at the end.

Nutrition