Crockpot Rodeo Cowboy Soup

Crockpot Rodeo Cowboy Soup–an easy ground beef soup loaded with beans, corn, tomatoes, elbow macaroni, crispy bacon and cheddar cheese. Make it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

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Crockpot Rodeo Cowboy Soup

Even though it’s hot outside this soup still hit the spot. It’s loaded with the stick-to-your-ribs ingredients you’d expect to find around a rodeo or cowboy camp…ground beef, beans, corn, bacon and cheddar cheese. It thickens as it cools because the macaroni soaks up the broth so it’s almost like a soupy goulash recipe. I like to portion the leftovers into small deli containers* and freeze them for easy grab-and-go lunches or quick single-serving dinners on busy nights. If you like a little heat, add diced jalapeños or a squirt of hot sauce to your bowl.

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
• Dry minced onion–or ½ cup diced fresh onion
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder–or 3 cloves minced garlic
• Chili powder
• Smoked paprika–or regular paprika
• Chicken or beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
• Petite diced tomatoes–or crushed tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Corn–or frozen corn
• Ranch Style beans–or chili style beans
• Elbow macaroni–or small shells, ditalini
• Cooked bacon–or bacon bits
• Shredded cheddar cheese–or Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and onion and brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease and then stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and smoked paprika.

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. 

Dump in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, beans and macaroni.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set SOUP button (or low pressure) to 2 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Stir in the bacon. 

Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with some shredded cheddar (we added chili cheese Fritos on top too).

Notes/Tips

• Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions. Cornbread is a good side to this soup.
• Ranch style beans can be found by other canned beans in the grocery store. They are pinto beans simmered in a mildly seasoned tomato and chili sauce.
• This can be dairy free if you leave the cheese off.
• I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the pasta will soften after thawing. For the best texture, freeze the soup before adding the macaroni and cook fresh pasta when reheating.
• Other recipes you can make with macaroni are Cozy Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup and Jolean’s Casserole.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.