Beef & Bean Soup
An hearty and healthy soup packed with pasta, beef beans, vegetables and on the table in less than an hour.
About my beef & bean soup recipe:
Today, I offer you my healthy version of Pasta e Fagioli. It is merely a simple Beef & Bean soup packed with pasta, vegetables and a rich broth.
What makes this soup healthier?
I offer you a couple of swaps-
Swap #1 -use ground turkey as your protein instead of ground beef. But…if you have carnivores that want beef, drain the beef and wipe down your pot to reduce that fat.
Swap #2– use farro or bulgur instead of ditalini.
Ingredients in Beef & Bean Soup:
- lean ground beef or turkey
- olive oil
- carrots, celery, garlic, fresh spinach,lemon, onions
- dark red kidney beans
- bay leaf, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, black pepper, kosher salt
- canned chopped tomatoes
- fresh rosemary
- beef broth
- ditalini pasta* see healthier options above
Other cold weather comforting soup recipes to try:
How to select the best beef for this recipe:
- Seek out ethically raised, grass finished or pasture raised beef. HERE is a map of the grass fed beef farms (and chicken ) across the US. Most of these ranchers provide a mail order service.
- Stock up on these types of beef so you aren’t caught with an empty freezer.
- When buying meat at the local store ask a few questions- is the meat from a USDA approved processing facility? Is the beef local?
- Support your local butcher. He may know the best places to get high quality beef- not every rancher can afford a website and mail order program.
- Check out Facebook Marketplace- sometimes you can find ranchers that sell a portion of an entire steer.
- 3. The ASPCA also has a list of thier approved ranchers. Check it out HERE. There are many brands like Whole Foods 365 and Butcher Block that have ethically sourced and raised beef that are readily available.
What to serve with Beef and Bean Soup?
- Corn bread. Check out my recipe HERE.
- Winter salad of citrus, frisée or endive and walnuts
- Sourdough bread with French butter or olive oil
- Italian breadsticks and an Italian salad of romaine, purple onions, croutons, small tomatoes and a red wine vinaigrette
Frequently Asked Questions:
This soup freezes well as long as you do not add in the beans or the pasta (which will turn to a mushy mess). Thaw the soup. overnight in the fridge and bring to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Add in the beans and pasta or grains.TO FREEZE: Pour the cooled soup into a Freezer Proof zip top bag, Remove the air using a straw, seal completely and then place inside another freeze Zip top bag.
Yes- Impossible Burger makes a ground beef substitute that works fine. Look for a mushroom based broth to give you the same Unami qualities as beef broth.
Yes- any small size pasta will work well- bowties, elbow, ditalini, fusilli work great.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sirloin or ground turkey
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3 unit carrots peeled and chopped into coins
- 4 stalks celery with leaves chopped
- 1 unit large yellow onion chopped
- 16 oz can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 3 cups fresh spinach or kale washed, stemmed removed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 unit bay leaf
- 1 TBSP fennel seeds crushed
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped fine
- 1 unit juice of lemon
- 26 oz chopped tomatoes
- 14.5 oz unsalted beef broth
- 1 cup ditalini pasta bulgur or farro, cooked
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven, on medium heat, brown beef or turkey until almost done- about 5-7 minutes. The meat will compete cooking while it simmers in the soup. Remove, drain the fat from the meat and wipe down the pot with a paper towel to remove excess fat.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat, add in carrots, celery and onions and sauté 6-8 minutes until fragrant. Add in minced garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, fennel, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute.
- Next, add in tomatoes. Cook until warmed through. Add in beef broth. You can swap in vegetable broth if desired. Add back in cooked beef or turkey and beans. Bring to a low simmer for 1 minute. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent sticking.
- In another pot, while the soup is simmering, boil 6 cups of water. Add pasta or grains. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- To complete the soup: Remove cover, add in juice of lemon and spinach or kale. Simmer another 5 minutes. Check for seasonings. Add more salt or pepper if desired. Remove bay leaf.
- In large bowls, add in one serving of the cooked pasta or grains, then top with soup.
- If you are feeling decadent, you can top with grated parmesan.
- When storing leftovers, keep the grains or pasta separate from the soup so it s does not soak up all the broth and become gummy.
