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.
How do you make alphabet soup?
This soup starts with ground beef, which is cooked with carrots, onion and celery. After the meat and veggies are cooked through, tomatoes, beef broth and seasonings go into the pot. The final step is to add alphabet noodles, frozen corn and frozen green beans. Everything simmers together until the pasta is tender. Add a sprinkle of parsley and you’ll be ready to eat!
Where do you buy alphabet noodles?
Let’s talk about alphabet noodles for a minute. It took me FOREVER to find them at the store. I’m talking months of looking at multiple stores. Finally one day I happened upon them…in the ethnic foods aisle with the Mexican food products. I would have never thought to look there. So if you can’t find them in the pasta aisle, check the ethnic food area, or order them online.
Tips for alphabet soup
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It’s got plenty of flavor but it isn’t overly greasy.
- While I typically use frozen corn and green beans for this soup, feel free to substitute fresh veggies if they’re in season.
- 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.
- This soup is great served as-is, or with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Alphabet Soup variations
I think this 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: While this is clearly meant to use alphabet noodles, if you can’t find them or don’t have them 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, peas or spinach.
This soup is meant to appeal to the kids, but adults love it too! The hearty combination of meat, veggies and pasta just can’t be beat.
More soup recipes
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- 50 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Hamburger Soup
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.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 24, 2015 and was updated on November 21, 2019 with new content.
Brad says
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.
Sara says
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!
Della says
Could you please add how much a serving is. Like a cup or 2 cops ?
Sara says
It’s 1 1/2 cups!
Maria says
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!
Sara says
I’d cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes!
Maria says
Thanks so much – I’ll give that a try!