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Filling and delicious, with an almost creamy texture, this Cowboy Soup is the perfect easy weeknight meal!

Ready in just 45 minutes and chock-full of filling and tasty ingredients, this crowd-pleasing, gut-sticking, tasty stew is sure to please the entire family. 

 

 

Whether you’re looking for a make-ahead freezer meal, a quick meal for a busy night, or something with great leftovers, this cowboy soup is the recipe for you!

It’s a quick, dump and cook recipe with tons of flavor and easy preparation. 

This cowboy stew is great because it can be made with shelf-stable foods from your pantry or freezer.

It’s one of those recipes that you likely have all the ingredients for already, and it comes together so deliciously! And did I mention you can freeze it? I sure love a soup that freezes well. 

 

 

What is cowboy soup?

Cowboy soup is basically a Tex-Mex, one pot, hamburger vegetable soup. Made with ground beef and/or sausage, filled with a variety of canned vegetables and beans, this soup is quick and easy to make ahead, make the day-of, or freeze for later! 

Cowboy soup is hearty and filling; the kind of stick-to-your-guts and keep-you-full stew that a hard working cowboy needs! But it’s not just for cowboys — it’s great for everyone! 

 

 

What is in cowboy soup?

While the ingredients are fairly interchangeable based on preferences (you can sub in or sub out your favorite veggies or beans), I really love this basic recipe for cowboy soup. It’s got all the flavor and filling goodness that you could ever want in a stew! 

To get started, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

• Ground beef – provides protein and iron. 
• Yellow onion – a great seasoning vegetable. 
• Garlic – packs a powerful punch of flavor. 
• Corn – Feel free to sub in frozen or fresh! 
• Green beans – keeping the liquid adds a great, salty bit of seasoning and liquid to your cowboy stew recipe. 
• RoTel tomatoes with green chilies – diced tomatoes and green chilies all in one flavorful can. 
• Rice – This is a full meal deal giving this soup, more of a stew or risotto texture.
• Beef broth – provides the majority of the liquid for the cowboy soup recipe. 
• Cream-style corn – canned cream-style corn adds another bit of creamy sweetness to the soup.
• Kidney beans – More protein and flavor!

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How to make cowboy soup?

This easy cowboy soup is one of the simplest soups to make! If you’ve got a can opener, a stew pot, and a stove burner, you can have this soup ready to eat in no time:

1. Cook ground beef and onion.
2. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat. 
3. Pour in canned beans and vegetables and rice. 
4. Simmer until rice is cooked.
5. Enjoy! 

 

 

Can I use chicken broth in cowboy soup?

Of course! Chicken broth and beef broth can be substituted for one another, and often are. While there will be a slight difference in flavor, it will be less noticeable in this ground beef bean soup recipe thanks to the presence of the ground beef! You can also sub vegetable broth. 

 

 

Can I use fresh vegetables in cowboy soup?

Absolutely! Feel free to sub fresh corn for canned, fresh green beans, fresh tomatoes, and fresh green chilies. The vegetable bean soup will taste great either way! 

 

 

Can you freeze cowboy soup?

This might be my FAVORITE part about this easy cowboy soup recipe — IT FREEZES GREAT! You can freeze it fully prepared or not. 

To freeze prior to fully cooking, still sauté the ground beef and onion until the ground beef is thoroughly cooked.

Meanwhile, assemble the remaining ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag, then add the cooked and cooled ground beef and onions. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

To freeze fully cooked leftovers, simply place cooled portions of leftover soup in a gallon or quart-sized (for single servings) freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months! 

To thaw, place soup in a covered pot on the stove top over medium heat, breaking apart and stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked or heated. 

 

 

How to thin out cowboy soup?

The best way to thin out cowboy bean soup is to add a little extra vegetable or beef broth. It might be necessary to add extra liquid as the rice cooks and absorbs the liquid in the soup. 

 Is cowboy soup healthy?

Relatively speaking, yes. If you use lean ground beef, cowboy soup can be an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, and various nutrients from the beans and vegetables! 

The main thing to watch out for is the sodium content. Canned foods and broths tend to be high in sodium. 

 

 

More Soups You’ll Love…

• Mexican Street Corn Soup
• Taco Soup
• Borscht
• Velveeta Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Turkey Noodle Soup
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
• Cauliflower Cheese Soup
• Easy Chicken Chili
• Easy Black Bean Soup
• Cheeseburger Soup
• Ham Bone Soup
• Chicken Potato Soup
• Cheese Onion Soup
• Corn Chowder

 

 

Whether you’re making this soup ahead for an extra busy weeknight or sick day, or throwing it together at the last second, this soup is the ultimate comfort food.

The flavors come together beautifully and the recipe is versatile and the preparation simple! It’s a win all the way around. 

 

Originally Posted: January 28, 2016

Photos & Text Updated: August 10, 2021

 

 

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