Rotini and Beef Vegetable Soup
Soup season has already begun in my house, and I’m so pumped about it. I love a cozy soup, some steaming hot broth, and some delicious bread to dunk in it. It’s the best! This Rotini and Beef Vegetable Soup was jam packed with fresh veggies, tender rotini pasta, juicy crumbles of ground beef, and a hearty tomato-based broth. It was truly a hug in a bowl. It’s the type of soup that you just can’t help grabbing another scoop of – even though you’re already full. My boys demolished this lickety split, which made me super happy, seeing them excited about veggies like that! And as a bonus, this one-pot dinner was a breeze to clean up after, which made me love it even more!
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So, where does the OG veggie soup come from? And when did pasta get added to it?
Vegetable style soups have been around since 20,000 BCE where tomb paintings in Egypt depicted greens-based soups, however, the first written recipe didn’t appear until 1st century AD. And I mean, that’s really old, right?
People created waterproof containers made out of clay and wood, then they’d gather plants and boil them. This just kept evolving and vegetable soup became a giant hit, with variations popping up across China, Greece, Rome, and eventually America! Immigrant communities brought the idea from Europe and from there, home cooks started to throw whatever veggies they had laying around into the soups. From fresh, to canned, to frozen veggies – I mean anything goes.
And the pasta addition? Around the Middle Ages it became super common! Tossing in some pasta was like second nature. It just belongs. Pretty cool stuff!
Did you know?
Back in those early days, soups were meant to be slurped, not eaten with a spoon. People were out there just drinking soup, and I love that. Drinking the broth is like one of my favorite parts of the whole deal!
Veggie soup was also seen as a total survival meal during the great depression. It was affordable and often provided feelings of comfort to people during hard times. With a soup and an abundance of veggies, you can really stretch those meals. Vegetable soup specifically became a symbol of resilience for this reason!
What ingredients do I need to make it?
For the rotini and beef vegetable soup:
Ground Beef
Olive Oil
Carrots
White Mushrooms
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Tomato Paste
Tomato Sauce
Chicken Broth
Thyme
Sage
Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Bay Leaf
Rotini Pasta
Grape Tomatoes
Peas
Corn
Lemon
Spinach
For serving:
Parsley
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
What equipment do I need?
How do I make it?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first let’s wash all of our veggies and herbs. Peel and dice the onion, then peel and mince the garlic. Next, peel the carrots, then slice those into coins.
Slice the mushrooms, halve the tomatoes, then chop up the sage, parsley, and remove the thyme from the sprigs.
Juice half of the lemon into a small dish, then set everything off to the side.
To make the rotini and beef vegetable soup:
In a stockpot over medium high, brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula as it’s cooking, and seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper. Briefly push down with the spatula, creating a nice crispy crust on the meat and once no longer pink, drain and remove to a plate covered with foil until ready to use.
In the same pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat, then add the carrots and mushrooms. Cook until softened a bit, stirring occasionally, then add the onion and garlic.
Once the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant, stir in the tomato paste. Cook a minute or so, stirring constantly, to deepen that tomato flavor!
Next, add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, the fresh sage and thyme, the rest of the seasonings, and the bay leaf. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium low, then stir in the pasta and grape tomatoes, continuing to simmer until pasta is al dente.
Next, stir in the beef, the frozen peas and the drained, canned corn.
Cook a few minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the lemon juice and spinach, cooking until the spinach has wilted and the pasta is tender.
Remove from heat and scoop into bowls.
To serve:
Top rotini and beef vegetable soup with freshly minced parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Tips:
- If you don’t have rotini, you could use an elbow macaroni, penne, or a shell pasta.
- Because of the pasta in this veggie soup, it’s not freezer friendly. If wanting to make a batch of this and be able to freeze it, just skip the pasta. Serve it with bread to get those carbs instead!
- Add whatever you want to this. It’s so versatile and that’s why it’s so great. It’s the perfect way to use up any fresh, frozen, or canned veggies you have on hand.
- You could also skip the beef and use vegetable broth instead of chicken if you’re looking for a vegetarian option!
Pumped for soup season too?
Looking for more veggie forward dishes?
Rotini and Beef Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
For the rotini and beef vegetable soup:
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Carrot peeled and sliced into coins
- 1 ½ cups White Mushrooms sliced
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 – 8 oz Can Tomato Paste
- 1 – 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
- 5 cups Chicken Broth
- 3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
- 1 ½ tsp Fresh Sage chopped
- 1 ½ tsp Salt divided
- ½ tsp Black Pepper divided
- ¼ tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 cups Rotini Pasta uncooked
- 1 cup Grape Tomatoes halved
- 1 cup Frozen Peas
- 1 – 15 oz Can Corn drained
- Juice from Half a Lemon about 1/4 cup
- 2 cups Spinach packed
For serving:
- Parsley minced
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
To prep the ingredients:
- To get started on this recipe, first let's wash all of our veggies and herbs and get our mise en place set up.
To make the rotini and beef vegetable soup:
- In a stockpot over medium high, brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula as it's cooking, and seasoning with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Briefly push down with the spatula, creating a nice crispy crust on that meat and once no longer pink, 4-5 minutes, drain and remove to a plate covered with foil until ready to use.
- In the same pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened a bit, 2 minutes.
- Stir in the onion and the garlic, cooking until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant, 2 minutes more.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to deepen that tomato flavor.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, the fresh sage and thyme, the rest of the seasonings, and the bay leaf, stirring to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and once simmering, reduce the heat to medium low.
- Stir in the pasta and grape tomatoes, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Next, stir in the beef, the frozen peas and the drained, canned corn.
- Cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the lemon juice and spinach, cooking until the spinach has wilted and the pasta is tender, 2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and scoop into bowls.
To serve:
- Top rotini and beef vegetable soup with freshly minced parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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Yum! I love all the cozy flavors in this Rotini and Beef Vegetable Soup! This is the perfect meal on a chilly day!
So glad you liked it Debbie ❤️