This hearty, no fuss cowboy soup is pure comfort food. Loaded with chunks of vegetables, creamy beans, ground turkey, and smoked sausage. It's slowly cooked inside a lightly spiced tomato broth.
This cowboy soup is filled with lots of Tex-Mex flavors, 3 different types of meat, along with creamy pinto beans and lots of healthy vegetables. It's a perfectly balanced meal and is so easy to make!
Perfect for those cool fall and winter evenings and a great meal to serve for football games on Sunday. No one will leave hungry after enjoying a bowl of this delicious soup.
For more comfort food recipes, try my Mickey Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese and Smoked Macaroni and Cheese.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Hearty and filling- This soup is full of 3 different meats, beans, potatoes and veggies. It will satisfy even the hungriest eater at your table.
- Simple to make- This recipes comes together in one pot, making it the perfect meal for weeknights and a breeze to clean up.
- Great as leftovers- This soup only gets better as it sits and develops more flavor, which makes it great for lunch the next day.
- Perfect for cooler weather- Warm and comforting, this soup is a great meal for those cool evenings.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Ground turkey- Although traditionally made with ground beef, I substituted with ground turkey. Feel free to use either one.
- Sausage- I love the smokiness of Kielbasa.
- Bacon- I use applewood smoked bacon.
- Ranch or cowboy beans- You can find this at Trader Joe's or even Target. Use the beans and the liquid they come in.
- Aromatics- I use onion, garlic and carrots.
- Mixed veggies- I use canned corn and frozen peas.
- Potatoes- Any potato will work but I prefer gold potatoes in this recipe.
- Spices- I use ground cumin and chili powder.
- Broth- Because I used ground turkey, I add chicken broth. But, if using ground beef, you can use beef broth.
- Cilantro- Add a couple sprigs on top for some greenery.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Render bacon fat. In a dutch oven or large pot, add bacon. Cook on medium heat until the bacon begins to render it's fat. Next, add sliced Kielbasa sausage. Cook bacon and sausage until browned.
With a slotted spoon, remove bacon and sausage. Leave rendered fat inside the pot.
STEP 2: Cook ground turkey. Add ground turkey and onions to the pot. Cook on medium heat until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent.
STEP 3: Add aromatics. To the pot, add potatoes, carrots, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
STEP 4: Add remaining ingredients. Lastly, add drained corn, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and cowboy beans. Then, add cooked bacon and sausage back to the pot.
STEP 5: Simmer soup. Cover ingredients with chicken stock. Cook on low-medium heat at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Once finished, stir in green peas. Adding them last will help keep their vibrant green color. Season with salt and pepper.
What To Serve On The Side
Here are some delicious ideas that you can serve alongside your soup.
- Corn bread
- Tortilla chips or corn chips
- Garlic bread
- Simple green salad
- Coleslaw
- Thick crusty bread
- Savory biscuits
Expert Tips
Make sure to cook the bacon on medium heat so that you render as much fat as possible, before browning the bacon too quickly.
While most of the vegetables are added into the soup at the beginning, I always add my green peas last. This helps preserve their bright green color.
If you want to create more of a chunky stew, you can hold back 1 cup of broth.
You can easily swap out the ground turkey for ground beef and the chicken broth for beef broth.
If you like things on the spicy side, feel free to add more chili powder, cayenne pepper or chopped jalapeños for an extra kick.
FAQ
Cowboy soup is basically a Tex-Mex, one pot soup that has ground meat (traditionally beef), loads of hearty vegetables and creamy pinto beans. All the ingredients are cooked inside a warm tomato broth, flavored with cumin and chili powder.
Yes you can! This soup is a great make ahead dish. Cook the soup earlier in the day and just reheat when ready to serve.
Yes, absolutely. You can use frozen corn, green beans or carrots. Just make sure to add your peas in last, to preserve their green color.
Storing and Freezing
You can store any leftover cowboy soup inside an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing
Freeze this soup inside airtight containers or Ziplock freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw inside the refrigerator and reheat on stove until soup comes to a complete boil.
More Easy Recipes To Try
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📖 Recipe
Easy Cowboy Soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices Applewood bacon chopped
- 12 oz Kielbasa cut into ½" slices
- 1 lb Ground turkey
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 3 Carrots peeled, small dice
- 1 Large Gold Potato peeled, diced into ½" cubes
- 1 (15 oz) Corn drained
- 1 (4 oz) Green chiles
- 1 (14.5 oz) Petite diced tomatoes
- 2 (10 oz) Cowboy beans
- 1 cup Frozen green peas
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot, add bacon. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes to render the fat. Add sliced Kielbasa. Continue to cook until bacon and sausage are both browned.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and sausage onto a plate, leaving the rendered fat inside the pot. Add ground turkey and onions to the pan. Cook until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent.
- Next add carrots, potatoes and garlic. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Add spices, tomatoes, chiles, beans, bacon, and sausage. Cover with chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Lastly, add green peas and stir. Season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with cilantro.
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