One Pot Cowboy Soup

Cowboy Soup is the kind of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that turns any cold evening into something special! This rustic one-pot wonder combines ground beef, tender potatoes, smoky spices, and wholesome beans into a bowl of pure satisfaction. With simple pantry ingredients and minimal prep, you’ll have a soul-warming meal that tastes like it’s been simmering on the ranch all day long.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Cowboy Queso Recipe or this Beef Barley Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This Cowboy Soup recipe is everything you want in comfort food – it’s hearty enough to satisfy the hungriest appetites, uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, and comes together in just one pot! The combination of ground beef, tender potatoes, and smoky spices creates that authentic Western flavor that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds.

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Ingredient List

The Meat and Veggies:

• 1 pound ground beef (I buy the 80/20 – don’t go lean, you need the fat)
• 1 onion, chopped (yellow’s fine, white’s fine, whatever you got)
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped

The Wet Stuff:

• 4 cups beef broth (Better Than Bouillon is my go-to)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-flavored diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (this is NOT optional)

The Good Stuff:

• 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, undrained (do NOT drain these!)
• 1 (15.25-ounce) can corn, drained (or use frozen, whatever)
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed (russets work best)

The Flavor Makers:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Why These Ingredients Work

Here’s what I learned making this soup probably fifty times: the ground beef gives you that satisfying chew, but the real magic happens with the potatoes. They release starch as they cook, which thickens everything naturally – no flour needed. Those Mexican-flavored tomatoes? Game changer. I used regular diced tomatoes for months until my neighbor Carol told me her secret. The Worcestershire adds this deep, almost smoky flavor that makes people go “what IS that?” when they taste it.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big stock pot (6-quart minimum or you’ll be sorry)
• Wooden spoon for stirring
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Can opener
• Ladle

How To Make Cowboy Soup

Step 1: Brown the Beef and Aromatics

Start by browning your ground beef with the chopped onions in a big pot over medium-high heat. Break it up with your spoon – I use the back of mine to really smash it. Takes about 5 minutes till the meat’s not pink and the onions smell amazing. Drain the grease unless you want an oily mess later.

Step 2: Build Your Flavor Base

Toss in that bell pepper and let it cook for maybe a minute – just till it starts getting soft. Then dump everything else in: broth, tomatoes with all their juice, beans (liquid too!), corn, and cubed potatoes. Don’t drain those beans – trust me, that liquid’s pure gold for flavor.

Step 3: Season and Spice

Time for the good stuff – chili powder, Worcestershire, paprika, and cumin go in now. Stir it all together and watch the color change. This is where your kitchen starts smelling like you actually know what you’re doing.

Step 4: Simmer to Perfection

Bring everything to a boil – it’ll bubble up fast. Then turn it down to a gentle simmer and wait 40 minutes. The potatoes need to get fork-tender, and everything needs time to get acquainted. I usually set a timer because I get distracted and end up with mush.

Step 5: Season and Serve

Taste it first – you might not need much salt since canned stuff’s already salty. Add pepper though, freshly cracked if you’ve got it. Ladle into bowls and prepare for compliments.

Must Know

Do NOT drain those beans! I see people do this and it drives me nuts. That liquid is flavor town.

Personal Secret: I let mine sit for 10 minutes after cooking before I serve it. Found this out by accident when the phone rang, but those extra minutes let everything meld together into something incredible. Now I do it every time.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Brown your beef in batches if your pot’s crowded – learned this the hard way when everything steamed instead of browned
• Cut potatoes the same size or they’ll cook unevenly and you’ll have some mushy, some hard
• Too thick? Add more broth. Too thin? Leave the lid off for the last bit
• Use 80/20 ground beef – you need some fat or it tastes like cardboard
• Stop stirring so much once the potatoes go in or you’ll have potato soup instead

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Heat Seekers: My son dumps jalapeños right in there with the peppers. I keep hot sauce on the table for people who want fire. Veggie Lovers: Carrots and celery go great if you chop them small and add with the onions. Smoke Show: Smoked paprika instead of regular makes this taste like campfire food. Bean Variety: Mix different beans – kidney, black, whatever’s in your pantry. Corn Upgrade: If you’ve got fresh corn, cut it off the cob and char it first. Next level stuff.

Make-Ahead Options

This soup tastes way better the next day. I swear the flavors have a party overnight or something. Make it Sunday, eat it all week. Freezes okay too, though the potatoes get a little mushy. Still good, just different.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Look, this soup’s pretty foolproof. No Mexican tomatoes? Use regular and throw in some taco seasoning. Missing spices? Use what you have. I’ve made this half-drunk at 9 PM when nothing was going right and it still turned out great. Taste it, adjust it, make it yours.

Serving Suggestions

Cornbread’s classic but we’ve eaten this with everything. Crusty bread for dipping, tortilla chips for scooping. My family goes nuts with toppings – cheese, sour cream, green onions. Whatever floats your boat.

How to Store Your Cowboy Soup

Fridge: Keeps 4 days, maybe 5 if you’re brave Freezer: Good for months, just don’t expect the potatoes to be perfect Reheating: Stovetop’s best – low heat, stir it around, add broth if it’s thick

Allergy Information

No major allergens in the basic recipe Gluten-Free: Yeah, if your broth’s gluten-free Dairy-Free: Yep Want it vegetarian? Use veggie broth and that fake ground beef stuff. Won’t taste the same but still good.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use a slow cooker for this recipe?

Yeah, totally. Brown the meat first though – don’t be lazy about this step. Then dump everything in the slow cooker. Low for 6-7 hours, high for 3-4. Potatoes might get softer but who cares, still tastes great.

My soup turned out too watery – what went wrong?

Either too much liquid went in or you didn’t cook it long enough. Next time, simmer it with the lid off for the last 15 minutes. Or add another potato – they soak up liquid like crazy.

Can I make this without the potato?

You can but why would you? The potato makes it hearty and thickens everything up naturally. If you hate potatoes for some reason, try sweet potato or just add more beans.

How can I make this spicier?

Jalapeños, cayenne, hot sauce, spicy tomatoes – pick your poison. Start small though, you can always add more but you can’t take it back.

What’s the best way to reheat leftovers?

Stovetop, low and slow. Microwave makes it weird and rubbery. Add a splash of broth if it got too thick sitting in the fridge overnight.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me how it went! Did you change anything? Add extra heat? I love hearing what people do different.