Bolognese Pasta Soup (In A Soup Maker)

This Bolognese Pasta Soup is the perfect comforting meal; a mix of minced beef, pasta, and a rich tomato base, all made in the soup maker.

It’s filling enough to enjoy as a main meal, especially when served with a sprinkle of cheese on top. Whether you use a Ninja Soup Maker or another soup maker brand, this recipe is simple, delicious, and family-friendly.

What You Need

For more concise instructions or to print out the recipe please head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Olive oil or butter
Use a little oil or butter to sauté the onion, garlic, and mince.

Minced beef
You can use cooked mince (for all soup makers) or raw mince if you’re using a Ninja Soup Maker, or a model that allows it.

Onion and garlic
You can use frozen onion and garlic if you prefer to save time.

Red pepper
Adds a touch of sweetness and colour to the soup.

Dried pasta
Choose small pasta shapes like macaroni, fusilli, or penne. These can be cooked seperately, or, depending on what soup maker you have, added to the soup maker at the beginning, or towards the end of the cooking time.

Dried mixed herbs
Adds a lovely flavour that works beautifully with the tomato and beef.

Chopped Tomatoes or Passata
This gives the soup its lovely tomato base.

Beef stock
I used either a beef stock pot or cube.

Making It

If your soup maker allows, start by sautéing the onion, garlic, and pepper in a little olive oil or butter.

Next, add the pasta, dried mixed herbs, chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and cooked (or raw) mince. Give everything a really good stir before setting the soup maker off. This is important to prevent any pasta from sticking to the bottom of the jug.

Set your soup maker to the chunky setting and let it cook. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid and the soup will thicken nicely as it cooks.

Once it’s done, give it another stir and check the seasoning before serving.

If you’re using a Ninja Soup Maker, you can use raw mince as it will cook during the cycle.

When the cycle finishes, stir the soup and serve immediately with grated cheese on top.

Serving Suggestions

This soup tastes fantastic with a handful of grated cheddar or parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. Serve it with crusty bread or a buttered roll for a filling meal.

Storing Leftovers

Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid, so you might need to add a splash of water or stock when reheating.

This soup is best enjoyed fresh, but you can freeze it if you wish, just note that the pasta may soften slightly when reheated.

Adding Pasta To A Soup Maker

Some people worry about pasta sticking to the bottom of the soup maker and burning, but I’ve never had this issue. I would suggest making sure you have ample liquid in your soup maker, and by that I mean stock or water rather than just passata or pasta sauce. I have heard that just tomato based liquids in a soup maker can cause it to burn.

Another question that often comes up is when to put the pasta in.

Should it be at the beginning, 5 minutes before the end, or should it be cooked separately and then stirred in? The answer is any of them, and it depends on the type of pasta you are using.

For this particular soup, I’ve used both Conchiglie pasta and Fusilli, which are larger than regular soup pasta. The packet instructions for the pasta suggested it needed boiling for 10 to 12 minutes, so I figured this would be just fine for the soup maker.

If I was cooking say fresh pasta, or smaller shapes, I would stop the soup maker about 5 minutes before the end of the cycle and add it in then. Of course it all depends on how soft you like your pasta.

You would also want to add the pasta cooked at the end of the cycle if you wanted to make a smooth soup.

A Note About Ninja Soup Makers: even on the chunky soup setting the Ninja Soup Maker does do a few short pulses during the cycle which may chop the pasta up a little bit. If you want to ensure the pasta stays completely intact, add it at the end of the cycle, or use the ‘manual cook’ setting.

This recipe turns out delicious in both soup makers with the main difference being the ability to add raw meat. Have you made any soups with pasta in? Let me know in the comments!

More Soup Maker Recipes

If you are looking for more soup maker recipes check out these for inspiration;

• Leek and Potato Soup
• Broccoli and Stilton Soup
• Lentil, Potato and Coconut Soup
• Soup Maker Chicken Soup
• Minestrone Soup