30-Minute Ground Beef Soup with Shell Pasta
Quick weeknight soup combining browned ground beef with chicken broth, French onion soup mix, diced tomatoes, frozen vegetables, and small shell pasta. Comes together in under 30 minutes and freezes well for make-ahead meals.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, browned
- 2 14 ounce cans condensed chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 1 1/4 ounce envelope Lipton French Onion soup mixhomemade onion broth basevariescondiment
control sodium
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 12-16 ounce bag frozen vegetablesfresh diced vegetables1:1produce
prepare ahead
- ½ cup small shell pasta, orzo, stars, or alphabetsditalini1:1pasta
similar size and texture
Instructions
- 1
Brown ground beef in a large pot, stirring to break it up
- 2
Drain the beef well
- 3
Add chicken broth, French onion soup mix, water, and diced tomatoes, then bring to a boil
- 4
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes
- 5
Add frozen vegetables and continue simmering for 10 minutes
- 6
Stir in small shell pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes more
Tips
Drain the browned beef thoroughly to avoid excess grease in the finished soup
Freezes well for future meals
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months
Prepare entire soup and cool completely before freezing. Can be made up to 3 days in advance
Ladle into bowls and serve hot
Common Mistakes
Skip draining the ground beef to avoid a greasy, unappetizing soup
Add pasta too early to avoid mushy, overcooked pasta
Substitutions
similar size and texture
prepare ahead
control sodium