This recipe for alphabet soup is full of ground beef, vegetables and tender pasta, all simmered in a hearty tomato broth. The perfect family friendly dinner option!
My kids are soup fanatics, they’re always requesting chicken tortellini soup, cheeseburger soup and this super delicious alphabet soup.
This winter my girls developed a love for soup. Which I was totally fine with, it’s easy to make, relatively healthy and is often a complete meal in a pot. One of my daughters rejects pasta and noodles about 90% of the time but she will make an exception for alphabet noodles which is how this recipe for alphabet soup came to be.
This soup is perfect for a soup and sandwich lunch. Try some leftover soup with my grilled caprese sandwich, turkey roll ups or they always fun Disneyland style Monte Cristo sandwich for an amazing lunch!
Table of Contents
Alphabet Soup Ingredients
To make this delicious alphabet soup you will need olive oil, an onion, carrots, celery, ground beef, minced garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, beef broth, alphabet noodles, frozen corn, frozen green beans and parsley.
How Do You Make Alphabet Soup?
To make alphabet soup heat some olive oil in a large soup pot. Cook onion, carrots and celery in the pot until softened. Place ground beef in the pot with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Crumble the beef as you cook it. Add garlic and cook it for a few seconds. Next add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and seasoning to the pot. Place in the pot alphabet noodles, frozen corn and frozen green beans. Stir everything together. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the pasta gets tender. Add a sprinkle of parsley and you’ll be ready to eat!
Tips For The Perfect Alphabet Soup
- Make sure to crumble your beef into bite sized pieces while you cook it.
- While I typically use frozen corn and green beans for this alphabet soup, feel free to substitute fresh veggies if they’re in season.
- This recipe calls for Italian seasoning. You can buy Italian seasoning or make your own Italian seasoning.
- This soup makes great leftovers. Just be aware that the noodles will continue to absorb the broth as they sit in the fridge. When I reheat this soup, I typically add another cup of broth to the pot.
Quick Tip
I use 90% lean ground beef. It’s got plenty of flavor but it isn’t overly greasy.
Recipe FAQs
You can usually find alphabet noodles in the pasta section of your supermarket or in the International foods aisle near the Mexican food products. If you can’t find the noodles either of those places in your local grocery store, you can order them online.
The letter in alphabet soup are made of pasta. They are small dried pasta letters that you can cook and enjoy in a soup.
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Flavor Variations
I think this alphabet soup is perfect as-is, but there are tons of different ways to change up the ingredients to suit your tastes!
- Protein: Try using cooked shredded chicken, mild Italian sausage or ground turkey instead of the beef.
- Noodles: If you can’t find alphabet pasta or don’t have it on hand, any tiny pasta will work such as orzo or acini de pepe.
- Vegetables: You can mix and match the vegetables to include the veggies your family likes best. Other great vegetables to try include potatoes, bell peppers, frozen peas or spinach.
- Broth: You can use chicken broth if you prefer.
- Seasonings: For more flavor you can add some dried thyme, dried oregano or a bay leaf.
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian version, omit the ground beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
- Cheese: Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or some grated cheddar cheese on top
This alphabet soup appeals to kids, but adults love it too! A bowl of this hearty combination of meat, veggies and pasta just can’t be beat.
More Soup Recipes
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
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Stuffed Pepper Soup
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Cabbage Roll Soup
45 mins
Hamburger Soup
50 mins
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Alphabet Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 6 cups beef broth
- 3/4 cup alphabet noodles
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen green beans
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned and mostly cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, beef broth, alphabet noodles, corn and green beans to the pot; bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender and vegetables have softened.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Look for alphabet noodles the pasta aisle of your grocery store or the international aisle. You can also order them online.
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It’s got plenty of flavor but it isn’t overly greasy.
- Make sure to crumble your beef into bite sized pieces while you cook it.
- While I typically use frozen corn and green beans for this soup, feel free to substitute fresh veggies if they’re in season.
I’ve made this soup 6 times and my family loves it, especially my granddaughters!
I have been making a version of this soup for over 45 years i was taught by my mother, she always used stew beef cut into small pieces instead if ground beef, i taught my daughter-in-law how to make it and it has become a family favorite they call it ABC soup😁one of my all time favorites
Hi! This recipe sounds delicious!! Have you ever made this in a slow cooker? If so, any tips? Thanks!!
I think you could cook it on low for 2-3 hours, but I’d add the pasta during the last 20 minutes.
Do you think this would be OK simmering for a few hours before serving? I want to be able to make this on my lunch break and let it simmer for a while to really draw out flavor.
You’d have to add the pasta at the very last minute, as if you let the pasta simmer for a few hours it would absorb all the broth!
Could you please add how much a serving is. Like a cup or 2 cops ?
It’s 1 1/2 cups!
Loved this soul warming soup! Just curious if you’ve ever made it in the Instant Pot? I would think the initial saute parts would be the same, but then what would the timing be for cooking? thanks so much!
I’d cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes!
Thanks so much – I’ll give that a try!