Bolognese soup is a hearty soup made with ground minced beef and vegetables. Delicious, filling comfort food, this healthy minced beef soup recipe is ideal for meal prep and midweek lunches and dinners.
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Why you'll love this healthy recipe
- Easy to make from everyday ingredients
- Bolognese soup is warming, comforting and delicious
- A healthy ground beef soup recipe with plenty of protein, fibre and vegetables. There's 250 calories in a generous-sized bowl
- Minced beef soup is gluten free and dairy free
- Freezes well and can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge
Ingredients
Minced beef (ground beef). I like to use lean minced beef to make this bolognese soup. It makes it healthier and the soup is nicer as there won't be fat on the surface.
Olive oil, or another healthy cooking oil.
Onions, carrot and celery. This trinity of vegetables is called a mirepoix, and it's a classic combination that adds a great balance of flavour to soups and stews.
Garlic and herbs add extra flavour. If you've got fresh herbs such as basil or parsley they'll add a lovely freshness if added towards the end of the cooking time. Otherwise, use a teaspoonful of mixed dried herbs.
Chopped tinned tomatoes and tomato puree both flavour the broth. If you've only got whole tinned tomatoes, chop or blitz them before you add them to the soup.
Stock. Beef stock is ideal. I used one stock cube with a litre of water so the flavour is not too overpowering and salty.
How to make bolognese soup
Prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the onions. Scrub and dice the carrots and celery. Peel and very finely chop the garlic.
Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and add half of the olive oil. Brown the ground minced beef in the pan for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Break the mince up as you are stirring so that it is in very small pieces.
Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and fry the vegetables for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
Add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper, minced beef, tomatoes, puree and the stock. If you are using dried herbs add those now. Fresh herbs such as basil or parsley should be added towards the end of the cooking time.
Bring up to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Check that the vegetables are cooked to your liking with the point of a knife.
Expert tip
Cut the vegetables into small even-sized dice. The soup will look nicer and the vegetables will cook through more evenly.
Serving and storage
Bolognese soup with ground beef makes a delicious meal by itself.
But if you prefer, you can add some extra healthy carbs:
- Add a drained can of cooked pulses such as haricot beans or lentils to the soup
- Serve with these easy wholemeal flatbreads, or some crusty wholemeal bread
- Of course, the classic accompaniment to bolognese is pasta and you can add some pasta shapes, such as penne or fusilli, to the cooking pot for the final 10 minutes of cooking time
Optionally you could also top with a bit of parmesan.
Bolognese soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days so it's perfect for meal prep. Heat through on the stove until piping hot.
This minced beef soup also freezes well. Store in an airtight container and defrost overnight in the fridge.
Bolognese soup has more vegetables than a traditional bolognese sauce. There's less minced beef per serving and more broth.
Yes, this bolognese soup recipe is healthy. It's low in saturated fat and has plenty of fibre and vegetables. The protein in the soup will help to keep you feeling full, and there are only 250 calories in a large bowl.
Other healthy and hearty soups
These comforting and delicious soup recipes are all healthy and are an easy way to eat more protein to keep you feeling full.
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Recipe
Bolognese Soup
Equipment
- large saucepan
Ingredients
- 250 g minced beef lean
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon herbs fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- 400 g can tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 litre beef stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and dice the onions. Wash and dice the carrots and celery. Peel and very finely chop the garlic.2 large carrots, 2 sticks celery, 2 onions, 2 cloves garlic
- Heat a large saucepan on a medium heat and add half of the olive oil. Brown the meat in the pan, stirring frequently and breaking the mince up into small pieces.1 tablespoon olive oil, 250 g minced beef
- Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil and saute the vegetables for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, herbs, minced beef, tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. Season and add the stock.1 tablespoon herbs, 400 g can tomatoes, 2 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 litre beef stock, salt and pepper
- Bring the soup up to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Check that the vegetables are cooked to your liking with the tip of a knife.
Notes
- Dice the carrots, onion and celery neatly so that the vegetables cook through evenly.
- I used one stock cube dissolved in one litre of liquid. That's more liquid than recommended on the pack, but otherwise, I find it can be a little too salty.
- Either use fresh herbs such as basil or parsley, or 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
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