Description
This hearty Cowboy Soup combines ground beef, tender potatoes, beans, and corn in a flavorful one-pot meal that’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
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
Instructions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Notes
- 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
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American