Easy Beef Sofrito Soup

Soup season is here, it’s time to warm up from the inside out with a comforting, nourishing bowl of hot soup. Soup that can stand on its own merits as a hearty, healthy main dish, earns bonus points in my busy life. And, I give a high-five to soup that’s ridiculously simple to prepare and produces enough tasty leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. Say “hello” to my Easy Beef Sofrito Soup!

This 20-minute Beef Sofrito soup is family-friendly with some of the kiddo’s favorite ingredients, like ground beef and noodles. Plus, the spice in the sofrito (a Latin recipe starter with tomato, bell pepper, onion and garlic) is mild enough that we can all enjoy it.

Easy Beef Sofrito Soup is a budget-friendly meal that makes 8 large servings for a cost of approximately $1.50 per bowl. I use ‘ground chuck for chili’ (a coarser grind) which is reasonably priced – however, any ground beef will do!

After browning the beef with chopped onion in a large stock pot, the next task is to simply to add a bunch of healthy and convenient packaged products you already have in the pantry. This includes beef broth, red pepper spaghetti sauce, a can of petite diced tomatoes, bottled sofrito sauce, and vermicelli noodles.

After the soup comes to a light rolling boil, turn the temperature down a bit and let it simmer for another 5 minutes while those thin noodles become tender.

Finally, stir in a heaping helping of fresh spinach that’s been coarsely chopped. It may seem like too much spinach to add to the pot, but this green leafy vegetable wilts down fast.

Spoon up Easy Beef Sofrito Soup into bowls and serve with a spoon . . . and maybe a fork!