This hearty hamburger soup is loaded with ground beef, potatoes and an assortment of vegetables, all in a savory broth. The perfect easy dinner option that the whole family will love!
When I’m looking for a one pot meal that I know will be a crowd pleaser, I turn to chili mac, chicken cacciatore or this simple yet satisfying hamburger soup.
Sometimes I find myself with a pound of ground beef and no clue what to make with it. It’s times like that when I turn to hamburger soup- it’s satisfying, quick, and you can customize it with whatever ingredients you already have around the house. Looking for more ways to use this versatile type of meat? Try my creamy and comforting ground beef stroganoff!
Check out some of my other favorite soup recipes like albondigas soup, stuffed pepper soup and cheeseburger soup.
Table of Contents
Hamburger Soup Ingredients
To make hamburger soup, make sure you have olive oil, an onion, carrots, celery, ground beef, garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, beef broth, a potato, frozen corn, green beans, parsley, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Hamburger Soup?
This hamburger soup recipe starts with the classic base of onion, carrot and celery. Sautee the onion, carrot and celery in a little olive oil until softened in a large pot. After your veggies cook, the hamburger goes into the pot to brown. Break up the beef into crumbles. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds. Next add tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced potato, beef broth and herbs to the pot, then bring the whole thing to a boil and then let it simmer. After the potatoes soften, stir in some corn and green beans with some salt and pepper. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Soup
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It’s got plenty of flavor but doesn’t make the hamburger soup greasy. If you’re using beef with a higher fat content, drain off any excess fat after cooking the meat.
- I use fresh green beans, but you can absolutely use frozen if you prefer. The key is to add them at the end of the cooking time so that they don’t get mushy.
- While cooking your ground beef, make sure to break it up into bite sized pieces.
- Make sure to cut all of your vegetables into similar sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- You can use store bought Italian seasoning or make your own Italian seasoning.
- Leftovers of this hamburger soup stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.
Quick Tip
The smaller you cut your potatoes, the less time it will take for this soup to cook. I cut my potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and it typically takes about 20-25 minutes for the potatoes to soften.
Recipe FAQs
This soup is a great candidate for the freezer, and will stay fresh for up to 2 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
You can make hamburger soup with ground beef, veggies, a potato, tomato paste, beef broth and seasonings.
If your ground beef has a more fat than 90% lean beef, you will need to drain off the fat. For example, if you use 85% lean or 80% lean ground beef you will want to drain the fat after cooking the meat.
Follow Me
Hamburger Soup Variations
I love this recipe as-is, but you can absolutely add other ingredients into the mix to customize the soup to your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of ground beef, try ground turkey, mild Italian sausage or even cooked shredded chicken.
- Potatoes: Skip the Russet potatoes and use Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes or even sweet potatoes.
- Pasta: You can add short pasta like macaroni when the soup has about 10 minutes left to cook. If you add pasta, you will want to add some extra broth for the pasta to absorb.
- Vegetables: Try adding other veggies such as kale, butternut squash, bell peppers, spinach, zucchini or peas.
- Spicy: Add some heat with a little hot sauce, chili powder, cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cheese: You can top this soup with shredded cheddar cheese when serving the soup.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup
This soup can be made in the slow cooker instead of on the stove top. Follow the first four steps of the recipe, then place the ground beef and vegetable mixture in a crock pot along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, potatoes and Italian seasoning. Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours. Stir in the frozen corn and green beans and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
This hamburger soup is hearty enough to stand on its own as a complete meal, but I often serve it with some crusty bread because it’s such a nice complement to the soup. I also serve this soup with cheesy pull apart bread or homemade dinner rolls.
What’s your favorite way to use hamburger meat? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
More Soup Recipes
Tortellini Soup with Sausage
30 mins
Ham Bone Soup (Slow Cooker)
4 hrs 10 mins
Chicken Tortellini Soup (Slow Cooker)
4 hrs 10 mins
Chicken Taco Soup
30 mins
Alphabet Soup
45 mins
Hamburger Soup Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Hamburger 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
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or equal parts of garlic powder, dried oregano and dried basil
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 large russet potato peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup diced green beans fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional
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 and potato to the pot; bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Stir in the corn and green beans and cook for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- The smaller you cut your potatoes, the less time it will take for this soup to cook. I cut mine into 1/2 inch cubes and it typically takes about 20-25 minutes for the potatoes to soften.
- I use a 90% lean ground beef. It’s got plenty of flavor but doesn’t make the soup greasy. If you’re using beef with a higher fat content, drain off any excess fat after cooking the meat.
I’ve been making hamburger soup for 30 plus years. This recipe is just I make it. It’s delish! It’s easy to make and easy to adjust to your own personal taste. All my friends and family love it so there’s never any leftover. I’m wondering how it freezes?
It freezes well, the veggies and potatoes are a little softer after being frozen, but otherwise it works fine!
daughter just made this and gave me some Wow is it good, she added three different kinds canned bean beside string beans CAN’T wait to make this myself tks
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this yummy recipe! We made this last night with what i had on hand! The aromas are wonderful and the taste is delicious! I followed the recipe as close as i could with what i had on hand (with the exception of only having 4 cups of beef broth so i added chicken stock, i had canned corn and green beans, and Jarred garlic. I also only had baby red potatoes. The diced tomatoes were also Italian seasoned.). Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Love this recipe. I’ve made it twice. So hearty and delicious!
So happy to hear you’re enjoying it!!
Just stopping by to say this is a delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the recipe! It’s easy and delicious…just serve with crusty bread and you have a complete meal!
Thanks for the recipe! It’s easy and delicious…just serve with crusty bread and you have a complete meal!
Love your recipes simple ad accesable
Thank you Pat!
Just made this and it’s delicious! It’s August and I live in the South, the Deep South, but no matter. I’m keeping this recipe. There’s nothing like homemade soup with fresh veggies.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
I just made it in August as well and it’s outstanding.
My family would go crazy over this! I must make it!
Never heard of hamburger soup. I would have to make a turkey version as I cant eat beef anymore.
This looks really good! I could eat this for dinner any night of the week!
This looks so yummy, I am definitely trying to make this for my family! I know my kids would love this !
I love a hearty soup recipe in cold weather. This one sounds like it would definitely fit the bill.
I love making soup, but have never made this recipe before. Now I know what I’m going to do with my leftover hamburger!
My mom used to make Hamburger Soup when I was a kid. I didn’t really care for it then, but as an adult I would so love a bowl about now.
Hamburger soup?! Why have I never thought of this?! (And secretly, I’m glad you did because your recipe seems absolutely scrumptious.) Thank you for putting the nutritious facts to your recipe – I don’t find many bloggers doing this!
This is definitely soup weather! I’ll have to give your recipe a try.
This is SO going into my winter rotation! I’m going to serve it with a generous handful of shredded cheddar on top, and we’ll have cheeseburger soup! Om nom nom.
This is definitely full of good hearty ingredients! It would be great on those cold nights! It looks really delicious!