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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Easy Cowboy Soup

    September 20, 2022 by Kristen Espino Leave a Comment

    51 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    Cowboy soup with ground turkey, kielbasa, bacon, beans, veggies and a spicy 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.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Step By Step Instructions
    • What To Serve On The Side
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQ
    • Storing and Freezing
    • More Easy Recipes To Try
    • 📖 Recipe

    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.
    Cowboy soup made with chunks of vegetables, sausage bacon and beans.

    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.

    Cooked kielbasa and bacon.
    Cooked ground turkey and onions.

    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.

    Cowboy beans, gold potatoes, carrots, corn, green chiles, and diced tomatoes.
    Stewed cowboy soup with ground turkey, sausage, peas, potatoes and tomato broth.

    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
    Cowboy soup with kielbasa, peas, corn, ground turkey and beans.

    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.

    Cowboy soup with vegetables, sausage, bacon, beans, ground turkey, tomato broth.  Cowboy hat tortilla chip and cilantro for garnish.

    FAQ

    What is cowboy soup?

    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.

    Can I make this soup ahead of time?

    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.

    Can I use frozen vegetables in this soup?

    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.

    Ground turkey, sausage, chunks of vegetables and potatoes, corn, beans, tomato broth.  Cowboy hat tortilla chip.

    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

    • Crispy Spicy Salmon Bowl
    • Creamy Mascarpone Tomato Sauce
    • Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
    • Ahi Tuna Nachos

    If you decide to try this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR RATING on the recipe card and leave a comment below. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

    Let's stay connected on social media. Tag me on Instagram @theepicureanmouse. Make sure to follow me Pinterest for more delicious family recipes.

    📖 Recipe

    Easy Cowboy Soup

    Kristen-The Epicurean Mouse
    This hearty, no fuss cowboy soup is pure comfort food. This one pot recipe is loaded with veggies, gold potatoes, ground turkey, smoked sausage, and applewood bacon. It's slowly cooked inside a warm and tasty tomato broth. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 808 kcal

    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 808kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 56gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 38307mgPotassium: 1113mgFiber: 3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 446IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 330mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword hearty, cowboy soup, stew, easy, tomato broth, cowboy beans
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Hi I'm Kristen!

    The creator and recipe maker for The Epicurean Mouse. I'm a professional Pastry Chef turned stay at home mom who loves to create delicious family-friendly recipes for you to make at home.

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