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.
How do you make hamburger soup?
This soup starts with the classic base of onions, carrot and celery. The veggies are sauteed until softened. After your veggies are done, the hamburger goes into the pot to brown. 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, you’ll want to drain off any excess fat before you move to the next step. After the meat and veggies are ready, I add tomatoes, tomato sauce, potatoes, beef broth and herbs to the pot, then bring the whole thing to a simmer. After the potatoes have softened, it’s time to stir in some corn and green beans. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Tips for the perfect soup
- 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 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.
- Make sure to cut all of your vegetables into similar sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
- This soup stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.
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.
- Vegetables: Try adding other veggies such as kale, butternut squash, bell peppers, spinach, zucchini or peas.
Can you freeze hamburger soup?
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.
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.
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
- Ham Bone Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Alphabet Soup with Meatballs
Hamburger Soup Video
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
- If you use ground beef with a higher fat content, be sure to drain off any excess fat before you proceed to the next step.
- Ground turkey (93% lean) can be substituted for the ground beef.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 8 2018 and was updated on October 20, 2019 with new content.
Made it tonight! We do not usually eat soup for dinner, but tonight this meal was exceptional! Tasty and delicious! Easy and appetizing! Thanks for sharing.
I’m super excited to try some of recipes. I have been trying to find different crockpot recipes.
Made this soup but I added Lima beans purple Hull peas potatoes so good
I remember my grandmother making this when I was a child, and loving it!
Haven’t seen nor heard about it in recent years so I started googling for a recipe, and luckily found yours.
In addition to this being budget -friendly, you can substitute or add just about any vegetables or pasta you like. There is no wrong way to make a hamburger soup!
Thank you for sharing this treasured old standby!
Absolutely delicious
FABULOUS! I added a two little packets of red pepper flakes and kicked it up too much! I then had to add more chunky tomatoes and all was good!
LOVE THIS RECIPE. I added some soy and a corn, carrot and peas frozen mix. I also added in cheese tortellini. Delicious!
I made the soup. It was so delicious! We had it for three meals for the three of us.
I used two cans of tomato and left out the tomato sauce. I had a bunch of scallions so I cut them up and put them in, doubled the green beans, put in some celery leaves from the celery in our garden I included three carrots, I put in a green bell pepper. I omitted the potato and served the soup with some brown rice. We put about 1/4 cup of rice into a large bowl of soup. I also put in one can of black beans. I did this last to go with the rice and create what is called in the book entitled “Diet for a Small Planet” ” a complete protein” which occurs when you have rice and beans together. The protein will assimilate better if you have the two both in the same meal.
There are so many ways to make this soup. It is easy, fast, tasty, healthful. Thank you very much!
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Amazing! I absolutely love this recipe. I almost never have seconds of any dish, and I ate a lot of this. Lol. It’s great! Thank you for the excellent addition to my dinner menu. ❤️
Sounds delicious! What would you recommend I serve as sides to round out a complete meal?
I serve this with bread or a green salad!
I love this recipe!!! Made it today
Hoping my russet potato’s don’t get too mushy 🙂
It’s perfect and my kids will love it! Thank you
I especially love the green bean addition I bought fresh and I think it adds the perfect kick!
Yay so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for reporting back!
Delicious soup! I would suggest using petite chopped tomatoes, as the tomatoes seemed a bit large. Also, I would suggest draining the meat after it cools. Very taste soup overall!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Great recipe! I added a bit of Worcestershire. I will def make again some day.
So happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe, thanks for reporting back!
Awesome recipe very good. Thank you.
Really good start. I felt it lacked a savory component; it needed a little depth. I ended up adding a tablespoon of soy sauce which added that missing piece and made all the difference! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Can this be made in slow cooker?
Yes it can! You’ll want to brown the beef first, then add the beef, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, seasonings, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and potatoes to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours, then stir in the corn and green beans right before serving.
I have four kiddos in my zoo, and they all love soup. I like this one especially because o the simple ingredients for my 10 month old. I have also omitted the potatoes and added elbow macaroni. “This is sooooo good,” said the 7 year old. Thanks for the inspiration!
So happy that they all enjoyed it! Thanks for reporting back!
When should I add noodles with this recipe in a slow cooker?
During the last 20-30 minutes of the cook time!
I added broccoli, cauliflower, and squash….it was amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe 😊
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
We add spicy V8 juice in combination with the beef broth…. Yummy!
That sounds delicious!
Adding a Tablespoon or so of Asian fish sauce, or light soy, adds umami and makes it yummier still!
Sounds great!
This is a wonderful recipe. I made it twice, once with ground beef and again today with a cut up chuck steak. This time added baby limas, very few noodles and 5 shredded Brussels sprouts. Delicious. Thank you!
Sounds amazing, so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this soup! It’s also called vegetable soup. I also add black eyed peas and baby Lima beans. A friend told me the other day that her aunt brings everything to a boil then adds uncooked hamburger. Then she simmers until done. it holds the hamburger’s flavor better.
Love the idea of adding beans, I’ll try that next time!