This Cowboy Soup Recipe Is The Ultimate One-Pot Meal

There are some meals that just feel like a warm hug in a bowl, and this cowboy soup is definitely one of them. I first had a version of it years ago at a friend’s tailgate party on a crisp autumn afternoon. It was hearty and comforting, filled with ground beef, beans, and corn. It was good, really good, but my mind immediately started whirring with ways to make it my own.

Back in my kitchen, I knew I wanted to give it a little more depth, a smoky warmth that would make it unforgettable. Standard chili powder was a given, but it needed something more. After a few test batches, I found the magic ingredient hiding in my pantry: a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

That was it. The minced chipotles added a smoldering, smoky heat that perfectly complemented the rich beef and savory sausage. It transformed the dish from a simple weeknight soup into something truly special. Now, this cowboy soup recipe is my go-to for chilly evenings, game days, or anytime my family needs a dose of pure comfort.

It’s the kind of meal that fills the whole house with an incredible aroma and brings everyone to the table with a smile.

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Why This Cowboy Soup Recipe Works

Cowboy soup has been a staple in home kitchens for generations, and it’s easy to see why. At its heart, it’s a simple, rustic dish born from necessity, using common pantry ingredients to create a filling and flavorful meal. It’s the ultimate “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of soup, where you can toss in what you have on hand and end up with something delicious. It’s a close cousin to chili but is generally a bit more brothy and often includes potatoes, which help make it so satisfying.

The popularity of cowboy soup lies in its simplicity and heartiness. It’s a one-pot meal that comes together quickly, making it perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s also incredibly forgiving, so you don’t have to worry about precise measurements or techniques. It’s meant to be robust and rustic, a meal that satisfies a hearty appetite without any fuss.

What makes my version stand out is the careful layering of flavors. I start with a combination of ground beef and pork sausage. The beef provides a classic, rich flavor while the sausage adds a wonderful savory depth that you just don’t get from beef alone. I also use fire-roasted tomatoes, which add another layer of subtle smokiness that really elevates the whole dish.

But the real secret, the ingredient that takes this cowboy soup from good to great, is the minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These aren’t just about adding heat. They contribute a deep, earthy smokiness and a slight tang that cuts through the richness of the meat and balances the sweetness of the corn. It’s a simple addition that creates a complex, restaurant-quality flavor that will have everyone asking for your secret.

Ingredients for Cowboy Soup

The beauty of this soup is how it brings together simple, easy-to-find ingredients into one incredibly flavorful pot. While many of these are pantry staples, the quality you choose and the addition of one key ingredient make all the difference. This is what you’ll need to make my signature cowboy soup.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef (80/20)
• 1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Optional for garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, Fritos corn chips

Let’s talk about a few of these ingredients. For the meats, I recommend using an 80/20 ground beef because the higher fat content adds a lot of flavor. Paired with a simple bulk pork sausage, like a breakfast sausage, it creates a wonderfully rich and savory foundation. You can use ground turkey or chicken, but the flavor won’t be quite as robust.

My secret weapon is, of course, the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You’ll find these in a small can in the international aisle of most grocery stores. They are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated in a tangy, slightly sweet red sauce. They pack a punch, so mince them finely and start with a smaller amount if you’re sensitive to spice. Don’t be shy, though, because they add an incredible smoky depth that is the hallmark of this recipe.

Using fire-roasted crushed tomatoes is another little trick that enhances that smoky flavor profile. Regular crushed tomatoes will work in a pinch, but the fire-roasted variety adds a subtle char that complements the chipotle peppers beautifully. And always use a good quality beef broth, as it forms the liquid backbone of your soup.

Step-by-Step Instructions For Making Cowboy Soup

This soup comes together in one pot, which is one of my favorite things about it. Just follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a hearty, delicious meal ready in no time. The key is to build the flavors in layers, starting with the meat and ending with a slow simmer.

Step 1: Brown the Meats

First, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat. A Dutch oven is really ideal here because it holds heat so well and cooks everything evenly. Add the ground beef and pork sausage to the hot pot. Use a wooden spoon or a meat chopper to break the meat apart as it cooks. You want to get it nicely browned all over, which creates a ton of flavor. Once it’s cooked through, carefully drain off all but about two tablespoons of the rendered fat. That little bit of fat will be used to cook our vegetables and carries a lot of flavor.

Step 2: Sauté the Vegetables

Add the diced yellow onion, celery, and carrots directly to the pot with the meat and the reserved fat. This combination of vegetables, known as a mirepoix, creates the aromatic base for our soup. Stir everything together and cook, stirring every so often, for about 6 to 8 minutes. You’re looking for the vegetables to soften and the onions to become translucent. Don’t rush this step. Sweating the vegetables properly develops their sweetness and deepens the overall flavor of the soup.

Step 3: Bloom the Aromatics

Now it’s time to add the minced garlic and my secret ingredient, the minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Stir them into the meat and vegetable mixture and cook for just one minute more. You’ll know it’s ready when the garlic becomes incredibly fragrant. This quick step, often called “blooming,” toasts the garlic and peppers slightly, releasing their essential oils and intensifying their flavor far more than if you just dumped them in with the liquids.

Step 4: Toast the Spices

Sprinkle the chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and dried oregano directly into the pot. Stir constantly for about one minute. Just like with the garlic, this toasts the spices, waking them up and deepening their flavor. Keep a close eye on them, as dried spices can burn quickly. You’ll notice the aroma becomes rich and complex, a sure sign you’re building a delicious soup.

Step 5: Add the Canned Goods

Pour in the can of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, the rinsed and drained pinto and black beans, the drained corn, and the entire can of undrained diced tomatoes with green chilies. The liquid from the tomatoes and green chilies adds an extra layer of zesty flavor. Give everything a really good stir to make sure all the ingredients are well combined and coated in the spices.

Step 6: Simmer to Perfection

Pour in the beef broth and add the diced russet potatoes. Stir everything together one last time and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low, place the lid on the pot, and let it simmer. It needs to simmer for at least 30 minutes, but an hour is even better. This gives the potatoes time to become fork-tender and, more importantly, allows all those wonderful flavors to meld together into a cohesive, delicious soup.

Step 7: Season to Taste

After the soup has finished simmering, give it a taste. Many of the canned ingredients and the broth contain sodium, so it’s crucial to taste before you season. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed until the flavors really pop. This final seasoning step is what brings the entire dish into focus.

Step 8: Serve and Garnish

Your amazing cowboy soup is ready. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and let everyone customize their own serving. This is where the fun really begins. Set out bowls of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and crunchy Fritos corn chips so everyone can add their favorite toppings.

How To Serve Cowboy Soup

Serving this cowboy soup is almost as much fun as making it. Because it’s so hearty and satisfying, it can easily stand as a complete meal on its own. The classic way to serve it, and my personal favorite, is ladled into big, rustic bowls with a side of warm, buttery cornbread for dipping. There’s just nothing better than sopping up that last bit of flavorful broth with a piece of sweet cornbread.

But the real fun comes with the toppings. I love to set up a “topping bar” on the counter, especially when we have company. It lets everyone build their perfect bowl. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your ultimate cowboy soup topping bar:

• Cheese: Shredded sharp cheddar or a Monterey Jack blend is fantastic. A sprinkle of crumbly cotija cheese also adds a nice salty kick.
• Creaminess: A dollop of cool sour cream or plain Greek yogurt is a must. It balances the smoky heat beautifully. Sliced or diced avocado is another wonderful creamy addition.
• Crunch: This is essential. Crushed Fritos corn chips or tortilla strips add a salty, satisfying crunch that contrasts perfectly with the tender soup.
• Freshness: A sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro brightens up all the rich flavors. Diced red onion or sliced green onions add a sharp, fresh bite.
• Extra Heat: For those who like it spicy, offer some sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños on the side. A dash of your favorite hot sauce works well too.

Beyond the toppings, you can also get creative with how you serve the soup itself. For a really impressive presentation, hollow out small round loaves of bread to create bread bowls. It makes for a fun and edible vessel. You can also serve the soup over a scoop of fluffy white rice to stretch it even further. No matter how you serve it, this cowboy soup is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that brings warmth and comfort to any table.

How To Store & Reuse Cowboy Soup Leftovers

One of the best things about making a big pot of cowboy soup is that the leftovers are just as delicious, if not more so. As the soup sits in the refrigerator, the flavors continue to meld and deepen, making the next day’s lunch something to truly look forward to. Storing and reheating it properly is simple and ensures it tastes just as good as when it was freshly made.

To store your leftovers, first allow the soup to cool down to room temperature. It’s not safe to put a large, hot pot directly into the fridge, as it can raise the internal temperature and affect other foods. Once cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days. You can also freeze this soup beautifully, which is perfect for meal prepping. I like to portion it into individual freezer-safe containers or bags. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, just thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers, you have a few options for reheating and reusing.

• Reheating on the Stovetop: This is my preferred method. Simply pour the soup into a small saucepan and gently warm it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it’s heated through. The soup may thicken a bit in the fridge, so you might want to add a splash of beef broth to loosen it up to your desired consistency.
• Reheating in the Microwave: For a quick lunch, the microwave works just fine. Place a single serving in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it loosely to prevent splatters, and heat it in 1-minute increments, stirring in between, until hot.
• Creative Leftover Ideas: Don’t just think of it as soup. Leftover cowboy soup makes an incredible topping for baked potatoes. You can also use it as a base for a hearty nacho platter by spooning it over tortilla chips and topping with lots of melted cheese. Another favorite in my house is “Cowboy Mac,” where we stir the leftover soup into a batch of creamy macaroni and cheese for an ultimate comfort food mashup.

Properly stored leftovers make for quick and delicious meals later in the week. It’s the meal that keeps on giving, and you’ll be so glad you have it on hand.

Substitutions & Variations For Cowboy Soup

This cowboy soup recipe is fantastic as written, but it’s also incredibly versatile. Think of this recipe as a starting point. It’s easy to adapt based on what you have in your pantry or your family’s personal preferences. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make it your own. Here are some of my favorite substitutions and variations to inspire your next pot of soup.

Feel free to play around with the core components. Whether you need to accommodate a dietary need or just want to try a new flavor combination, this soup can handle it. The goal is to create a dish your family will love.

• Protein Swaps: If you’re not a fan of beef or pork, you can easily substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for a lighter version. For a different flavor profile, try using spicy Italian sausage or even chorizo. To make a vegetarian version, you can omit the meat and add an extra can of beans, like kidney or cannellini beans, along with some hearty mushrooms.
• Bean Variations: This recipe calls for pinto and black beans, but truly any canned bean will work. Kidney beans, cannellini beans, or even chickpeas would be delicious additions. It’s a great way to use up whatever you have in your pantry.
• Vegetable Add-ins: Feel free to load this soup up with more vegetables. Diced bell peppers (any color) can be added with the onions and carrots for extra sweetness. Diced zucchini or yellow squash can be stirred in during the last 15 minutes of simmering. For a sweeter take, you could even substitute one of the potatoes with a diced sweet potato.
• Adjusting the Heat: You are in complete control of the spice level. For a milder soup, reduce the amount of chipotle peppers or leave them out entirely, and be sure to use a mild can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. To kick up the heat, add a bit of the adobo sauce along with the minced peppers, a pinch of cayenne pepper with the other spices, or use a hot variety of pork sausage.
• Low-Carb Cowboy Soup: To make this recipe more friendly for a low-carb diet, you can omit the potatoes and the corn. To keep it hearty, bulk it up with more meat or add low-carb vegetables like diced bell peppers, zucchini, or chopped cauliflower florets.

No matter which path you choose, the result will be a warm, comforting, and delicious soup. The most important part is to taste as you go and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

5 FAQs About Cowboy Soup

Here are some straightforward answers to the most common questions I receive about this cowboy soup recipe.

What is cowboy soup?

Cowboy soup is a hearty, American-style soup that feels like a cross between a classic beef and vegetable soup and a pot of chili. Its defining characteristic is its use of simple, readily available pantry staples to create a filling and flavorful meal. The base is typically ground beef, simmered in a tomato and beef broth liquid along with a variety of beans, corn, and often potatoes. It’s known for being incredibly adaptable, hence its rustic name which evokes images of simple, satisfying meals cooked over a campfire.

It’s not a dish with a rigid set of rules. It’s more of a concept, a “use what you have” kind of meal. This flexibility is what makes it so beloved by home cooks. You can easily swap out the vegetables, change up the beans, or use a different type of ground meat. My version elevates this humble classic by using a combination of beef and sausage for more flavor and adding smoky chipotle peppers to give it a unique and memorable depth that sets it apart from more basic recipes.

What’s the difference between cowboy soup and chili?

This is a great question, as the two dishes share many of the same ingredients and flavor profiles. The primary difference comes down to consistency and key ingredients. Chili is typically much thicker, often with a consistency closer to a stew. It’s rich and dense, and the focus is usually on the meat and the complex chili pepper-based sauce. Some traditional chili recipes, especially Texas-style chili con carne, don’t even contain beans or tomatoes.

Cowboy soup, on the other hand, is definitively a soup. It has a much more brothy consistency than chili, designed to be eaten with a spoon. While it’s very hearty, it’s not as thick and heavy as a typical chili. Another key difference is the common inclusion of potatoes and corn in cowboy soup, which are ingredients you rarely find in a traditional chili recipe. Think of cowboy soup as a more vegetable-forward, brothy cousin to chili.

Can I make this cowboy soup in a slow cooker?

Absolutely. This recipe adapts wonderfully to the slow cooker, making it an excellent fix-it-and-forget-it meal. To ensure you get the most flavor, I still highly recommend completing the first few steps on the stovetop. Searing the meat and sautéing the aromatics and spices creates a depth of flavor that you just can’t achieve by dumping everything into the slow cooker raw.

First, follow steps 1 through 4 of the recipe in a skillet on the stovetop: brown the meats, drain the fat, sauté the vegetables, and bloom the garlic, chipotles, and spices. After that, transfer the cooked meat and vegetable mixture to the basin of your slow cooker. Add all the remaining ingredients (canned goods, broth, and potatoes) and stir everything to combine. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the flavors have melded. It’s a fantastic way to have a hot, delicious dinner waiting for you at the end of a long day.

Is this cowboy soup recipe spicy?

The level of spice in this recipe is what I would describe as a mild to medium heat with a lot of smoky flavor. The heat comes primarily from two ingredients: the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. The chipotle peppers provide a warm, smoky heat that lingers pleasantly rather than being sharply aggressive. The diced tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel) add a gentle background warmth.

The beauty of this recipe is that you are in complete control of the heat level. If you or your family prefer a milder soup, you can easily reduce the amount of minced chipotle peppers from two tablespoons to just one, or even a teaspoon. You could also substitute the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for a can of plain diced tomatoes. Conversely, if you love spice, feel free to add more chipotle peppers, a spoonful of the adobo sauce from the can, a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.

What can I serve with cowboy soup besides cornbread?

While cornbread is the quintessential partner for cowboy soup, there are plenty of other delicious options to serve alongside it. The goal is usually to have something to help soak up the delicious, savory broth or something to provide a fresh contrast to the rich and hearty soup. A warm, crusty baguette or a loaf of sourdough bread is perfect for dipping and is always a crowd-pleaser.

For something a little lighter, a simple side salad with a bright, acidic vinaigrette can be a wonderful counterpoint to the richness of the soup. A crisp wedge salad with blue cheese dressing is another fantastic choice. If you want to stick with classic comfort food, simple saltine crackers are a traditional and beloved soup accompaniment. You could also serve warm flour or corn tortillas for scooping. And for a truly comforting pairing, a simple grilled cheese sandwich cut into strips for dipping is a combination that both kids and adults will adore.

Try These Recipes Next

If you loved the hearty, one-pot comfort of this cowboy soup, I know you’ll enjoy these other satisfying soup recipes from the blog.

• Easy Taco Soup: All the flavors of your favorite taco in a simple, delicious soup that comes together in just 30 minutes.
• Slow Cooker Tex Mex Soup: Let your slow cooker do all the work with this flavorful soup packed with chicken, black beans, and corn.
• Hearty Ground Beef Soup with Smoky Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Another wonderfully smoky and satisfying soup that’s packed with ground beef and vegetables.

Each of these recipes is perfect for a cozy night in and is sure to become a new family favorite.