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A perfect weeknight dinner! This Italian beef noodle soup is full of ground beef, pasta, and Parmesan cheese in a zesty tomato broth. Just add a side of garlic bread for a simple and cozy one-pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
You can’t beat a cozy, comforting meal on a chilly evening, and this quick and easy beef noodle soup recipe is definitely a family favorite. It’s rich, hearty, and full of Italian flavor. Best of all, the pasta cooks right in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, so there’s very little prep work, and very few dishes to wash at the end!
Make it your own by switching up the type of pasta that you use, or by subbing Italian sausage or ground turkey for the ground beef. Throw in some fresh herbs if you’ve got them, and pair each flavorful bowl with a crusty loaf of bread, garlic breadsticks, or a simple green salad. It’s nourishing, kid-friendly comfort food!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of beef and noodle soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Ground beef: for hearty, satisfying flavor. Feel free to use ground turkey or ground Italian sausage instead. Frozen meatballs (thawed) would also work!
- Onion and garlic: add savory flavor to the base of the soup.
- Tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce: add rich tomato flavor to the broth.
- Italian seasoning: a convenient blend of marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage.
- Sugar: in order to achieve great tomato flavor, it’s important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a soup that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Beef broth: the liquid base of the soup. Feel free to add more broth, as desired, to thin the soup to your desired consistency.
- Red wine: adds more depth of flavor to the broth, and pairs nicely with the beef and Italian seasoning. For an alcohol-free substitute, use water or extra broth.
- Medium shells pasta: or sub with another small, short pasta shape, such as ditalini, stelline or estrella (stars), or elbows. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time according to the directions on your specific box of pasta.
- Parmesan cheese: flavors the broth, and also adds extra flavor as a garnish. Use freshly-grated cheese from a Parmesan wedge if available, but the canned pre-grated version will also work.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish and give the soup a greater depth of flavor.
How to Make Beef Noodle Soup
Every busy home cook loves a simple one-pot dinner that comes together easily on the stovetop. This cozy, comforting soup is a nourishing way to feed your family — in about 30 minutes! Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Brown the ground beef and onion in a large Dutch oven.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, broth, red wine, and seasoning. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the noodles, and simmer until they’re tender — about 10 more minutes.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and any extra seasoning to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Pair each bowl of beef and noodle soup with any of these easy side dishes:
- Garlic Bread or Breadsticks
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Crusty French Baguette, Focaccia Bread, No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins, Pumpkin Muffins, or Pumpkin Bread
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fennel Salad with Apples and Creamy Cider Dressing
Preparation and Storage
- Make Ahead: to prepare this soup in advance, follow the recipe instructions through Step 2, simmering the broth for 10 minutes. Do not add the pasta or Parmesan. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, pack in airtight containers, and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, bring the soup to a simmer on the stovetop. Add the noodles and cook just until tender. Stir in the Parmesan and serve!
- Storage: leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months; however, cooked pasta never keeps very well in soup for a long period of time (since it swells and becomes sticky or mushy). If you’re prepping in advance, follow the make-ahead instructions above and wait to add the noodles until you’re ready to serve.
- How to Reheat: thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Place the soup in a saucepan or pot and reheat on low, just until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground Italian sausage, or a couple of cans of beans.
- For more veggies in the soup, saute diced carrots and celery with the beef and onion. Add a bay leaf or two for even more flavor.
- Use any small pasta shape in lieu of the shells. Good options include ditalini, stelline or estrella (stars), and elbows. You could also use egg noodles. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time according to the directions on your specific box of pasta.
- For an alcohol-free soup, swap out the red wine and use extra broth or water.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Prepare a smaller batch of soup by cutting all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the cooking directions remain the same.
Tips for the Best Beef Noodle Soup Recipe
- The pasta absorbs quite a bit of broth as it cooks, so the soup is fairly thick when it’s done (like a stew). Feel free to add extra broth to thin the soup, if desired.
- The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on the saltiness of your broth, and on your personal taste preferences. It’s important to add salt to the soup before cooking the pasta so that the noodles absorb some of the seasoning. You can always add extra towards the end if you like.
- Stir the pot regularly so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- The seasonings are fairly simple in this dish, so you may want to add extra fresh (or dried) herbs to taste, or try crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Pick a dry red wine that you would like to drink, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Shiraz, or Merlot.
More Beef Soup Recipes to Try
Italian Beef Noodle Soup
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
A perfect weeknight dinner! This Italian beef noodle soup is a one-pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Equipment
- 7.25 quart Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, or more to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar, or more or less to taste
- 6 cups beef broth, or more as needed to thin to desired consistency
- ¼ cup red wine
- 8 ounces uncooked medium shells pasta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Stir in the tomato paste and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, beef broth, and red wine. Stir in a good amount of salt, to taste, to season the pasta as it cooks (I add about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to start, but the total amount necessary will depend on the saltiness of your broth, and on your personal taste preferences). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer (uncovered) for 10 minutes.
- Add pasta and cook at a simmer just until the noodles are tender, about 10-12 more minutes. Stir the pot occasionally as the pasta cooks.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper. Add extra broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, if necessary.
- Serve soup immediately, and garnish with additional cheese and fresh herbs.
Notes
- The pasta absorbs quite a bit of broth as it cooks, so the soup is fairly thick when it’s done (almost like a stew). Feel free to add extra broth to thin the soup, if desired.
- The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on the saltiness of your broth, and on your personal taste preferences. It’s important to add salt to the soup before cooking the pasta so that the noodles absorb some of the seasoning. You can always add extra towards the end if you like.
- Stir the pot regularly so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- The seasonings are fairly simple in this dish, so you may want to add extra fresh (or dried) herbs to taste, or try crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Pick a dry red wine that you would like to drink, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Shiraz, or Merlot.
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground turkey, ground Italian sausage, or a couple of cans of beans.
- For more veggies in the soup, saute diced carrots and celery with the beef and onion. Add a bay leaf or two for even more flavor.
- Use any small pasta shape in lieu of the shells. Good options include ditalini, stelline or estrella (stars), and elbows. You could also use egg noodles. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time according to the directions on your specific box of pasta.
- For an alcohol-free soup, swap out the red wine and use extra broth or water.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Prepare a smaller batch of soup by cutting all of the ingredients in half. The rest of the cooking directions remain the same.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 14gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 913mgPotassium: 697mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 555IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 3mg
Great soup!! I have a question! Why do a lot of people brown beef with vegetables in it? Does anyone realize that vegetables let out moisture and FLAVOR when cooked. THEN the mixture is drained and the flavor from vegetables goes down the drain with the oil from the meat!!!!!! Brown the meat FIRST DRAIN!!! Then add the vegetables and saute!!!
Thank you, Eddie! You are right. Browning the meat first is the best way to ensure great flavor. Thanks for the reminder!
This soup sounds delicious. Can I freeze the leftovers, or will they get mushy? When I reheat will I need to add additional liquid? Thanks for sharing so many wonderful recipes with your readers.