Cozy, Hearty, and loaded with nutrients! This delicious and Easy 30-Minute Beef Minestrone soup will warm you right up this winter! This hamburger soup is a winter staple in our house for it’s cozy vibes and healthy dose of veggies and protein.
One Recipe, Two Ways
Since I’ve dubbed this recipe “easy”, I’ve decided to offer up two “easy” ways to prepare it in case your definition of “easy” is different from mine! Below you’ll find a stove top AND a slow-cooker recipe. The 30-minute stovetop recipe is prepared in just one pot and ready to eat fast for busy weeknights without planning ahead. That being said, the slow-cooker recipe may be perfect for those of you who, like me, do the bulk of your dinnertime meal prep during naptime or earlier in the day!
Stovetop Recipe:
Below (on the recipe card) you’ll find detailed instructions for how to prepare the stovetop version of my beef minestrone! But first, I’ll brief you on the process!
What You Need
- Beef (or Veggie) Broth
- Small Macaroni Shells
- Ground Beef
- Mixed Frozen Veggies
- Potato
- Celery
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Diced tomatoes
- Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh Thyme Spriggs
Under 30-Minute Stovetop Instructions:
- Brown ground beef in a large stock pot or dutch oven (I prefer to use a dutch oven). White the beef browns, prepare and chop your veggies. Drain excess fat from browned beef.
- Add all ingredients into pot, besides pasta. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Add your pasta and continue to simmer until pasta and potatoes are tender, 7-10 more minutes.
- Turn off heat, serve, and enjoy!
Want to keep it warm without overcooking?
There are a few ways you can accomplish a ready-to-eat warm soup that lasts an entire evening – but you’ll want to be careful that you don’t overcook the pasta! Here are two ways I accomplish this.
- Option 1: Add the pasta in for just the final 3-5 minutes instead of the final 7-10 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and trap it with your lid! This method works best in the dutch oven and will also stay warm for longer.
- Option 2: Take soup off of the stove about 3-5 minutes early (just before the potatoes and pasta are tender), and transfer to crockpot. Leave on WARM (not low) until you’re ready to serve! This will keep the soup warm all night, but you’ll want to enjoy it within a couple hours for optimal texture!
Slow-Cooker Recipe:
- In a skillet, brown ground beef and drain excess fat. While beef is browning, prepare and chop veggies.
- Throw all ingredients (besides pasta) into the slow-cooker and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours (or HIGH for 3-4) – until potatoes are tender.
- After the initial cook time, add pasta and cook for an additional ~20 minutes (or however long it takes for the pasta to become just about al-dente). Once pasta is nearly tender, turn to WARM until you’re ready to serve! TIP – do not wait too long on this step or your pasta will become too tender and begin to disintegrate into the soup, changing the consistency of the broth! It’s best to turn off the heat when the pasta is not quite tender yet, especially if you plan to wait a bit before serving!
Storing/Freezing the Easy 30-Minute Beef Minestrone
To store or freeze the soup, it is best to reserve the portion you want to save as soon as the soup is finished cooking! In other words, it’s best not to let it sit in a warm pot all night and then store it. This is because, like any pasta/potato soup, reheating will continue to cook these ingredients and can alter the original consistency by adding unnecessary “cook time”. Avoid this by scooping your anticipated Store/Freeze portion into a gallon bag or Tupperware as soon as it’s finished cooking.
Refrigerater Instructions
Store in the Fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. When you’re ready to re-heat, spoon into a bowl and microwave for 3-3.5 minutes, or pour into a pot and reheat on the stove over low heat.
Freezer Instructions
Spoon into a gallon bag. When you’re ready to re-heat, thaw the bag in the fridge or on the counter. Then, pour into a pot and reheat on the stove over low heat. Pro Tip- You can expedite this process by placing the frozen gallon bag into a hot pot of water. I like to fill my crockpot with a small volume of water and leave it on warm – then let the bag sit in there, covered, until it is both thawed and warm enough to eat!
Looking for More Soup Recipes?
Here are a few of my favorite soup recipes on the blog!
- Creamy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Easy Crockpot French Onion Soup
- Crockpot White Chicken Hatch Pepper Chili
- One Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- White Wine and Rosemary Turkey Soup
Alright, you’ve waited long enough! Find my Easy 30-Minute Beef Minestrone Soup Recipe below!
Easy 30-Minute Beef Minestrone
Equipment
- 1 large stock pot, dutch oven, or slow-cooker
Ingredients
- 5-6 C beef broth (or vegetable broth)
- 3/4 C small macaroni shells (any small pasta will do)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 bag mixed frozen veggies peas/carrots/green beans/peas/corn (can also use fresh of any of these – about 2 cups worth)
- 1 potato Large – peeled and diced into 1/4" – 1/2" pieces
- 1 C celery chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 springs fresh thyme
Instructions
30-Minute Stovetop Instructions
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, brown ground beef and drain excess grease. While this browns, prepare & chop veggies.
- Add all ingredients (besides pasta) to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add pasta and continue to simmer, until pasta is cooked and potatoes are tender (about 7-10 more minutes). Add more seasoning to taste (another Tbsp of soy sauce + Worcestershire adds a little more depth of flavor)!
- Turn off heat, serve, and enjoy! (See above for storage/freezing instructions)
Slow-Cooker Instructions
- Brown meat and drain excess grease. Meanwhile, chop veggies.
- Add all ingredients to crockpot, except for macaroni pasta shells.
- Cook on low for 5-7 hours (until potatoes are tender)
- After initial cook time (once potatoes are tender), add pasta and cook for about 20 more minutes (until pasta is al-dente). If you plan to serve in an hour or more, turn to warm after about 15 minutes (just before the pasta is al dente) to avoid overcooking the pasta.
- Turn heat to warm until you’re ready to serve!
Nutrition
Made with Love,
Kelsie
