Anyone who has lived in a cowboy town knows that the Wild West is still very much alive. Rodeos, cattle drives, coal-powered railroad rides and mining tours are all still a part of daily life for those who live in picturesque mountain towns. In addition to Wild West vibes, the cowboy appetite is also quite real. After a long day of working outdoors, there’s nothing more comforting than hearty cowboy recipes, especially a big bowl of cowboy soup.
The beauty of this one-pot cowboy soup recipe is that it’s completely customizable. Mix and match ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator, use other types of ground meat or change up the spices and vegetables to your personal preferences. This soup is traditionally made with pinto beans, but even those aren’t off-limits when it comes to making it your own. Black beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans or kidney beans all taste great in cowboy soup.
What is cowboy soup?
Cowboy soup is a simple yet flavorful soup that’s packed with filling ingredients like ground beef, tomatoes, green chiles, pinto beans and other vegetables. It’s a one-pot meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Some say cowboy soup is similar to a hearty chili. While it does have a comparable spice profile thanks to the combination of tomatoes, chili powder and ground cumin, cowboy soup is not typically as spicy as most chili recipes. It also contains extra ingredients that make the soup more filling, like chunks of potatoes, sweet corn and canned mixed vegetables.
Ingredients for Cowboy Soup
- Ground beef: You can use fresh or frozen ground beef for this recipe. It’s best to defrost ground beef in the fridge overnight, but if you forgot, you can cook ground beef from frozen. Just make sure to flip the frozen brick over frequently and scrape off the outer layers as they brown.
- Onion and garlic: These aromatic vegetables season the ground beef and add the first layer of flavor to this hearty cowboy soup.
- Beef broth: Use low-sodium or homemade beef broth if you want to keep the salt content low. Alternatively, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Ranch-style beans: These canned pinto beans are seasoned with tomato sauce, spices and a splash of vinegar to give them a tangy finish. They’re available at most grocery stores, but regular pinto beans also work. (You can make homemade ranch-style beans if you prefer to cook from scratch.)
- Tomatoes and green chiles: The combination of drained diced tomatoes and undrained diced tomatoes with green chiles gives the soup a bold flavor, a stew-like consistency and the perfect hint of heat.
- Veggies: You can use any type of vegetable in this soup. We like peeled and chopped potatoes, frozen corn and a can of mixed vegetables, but feel free to experiment.
- Seasonings: Chili powder adds a hint of spice, while ground cumin boosts the smoky vibes. A little bit of salt and pepper rounds it all out.
- Jalapeno pepper: Garnish the soup with thinly sliced jalapeno peppers for some spice.
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