In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Break it into small crumbles as it cooks. Once fully cooked, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
Remove all but a couple of tablespoons of the rendered grease. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, jalapeno, and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
Stir in tomato paste, brown sugar, chili powder, and smoked paprika and simmer for about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes (with juice) and frozen roasted corn. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
Pour the beef broth into the pot and add the ground beef back to the pot.
Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the shell pasta to the soup. Cover the pot again, turn the heat to medium, and allow the pasta to cook for about 10 more minutes or until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Because we are using a little bit of the leftover grease from browning the ground beef, we don't need any oil to sauté the vegetables.Note, that if you are going to use a beef alternative such as ground turkey, you might need to add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to sauté the vegetables.