Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup – loaded with flavorful lean ground beef, hearty vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and full of rich flavor. It’s easy to throw together and is a perfectly comforting soup on a chilly day!

Wondering what to serve with it? How about my 1 Hour Dinner Rolls or Cheesy Garlic Bread to make an extra cozy meal!

Hamburger Soup Recipe

So what exactly is hamburger soup? Does it taste like a hamburger? This soup is basically the simplified, soupier cousin of beef stew.

It’s a ground beef-based soup loaded with lots of nutritious vegetables. Plus, it’s a versatile soup, so you can play around with the vegetables and seasonings added.

And no, it doesn’t really taste like a hamburger.

I don’t know that that would taste very good; we’d have some soggy buns, ketchup, and mustard in there or something, yuck. So I guess if you’d like, you could just call this beef soup or beef vegetable soup.

It’s just that many times, people refer to ground beef as hamburger.

No matter what you call this, though, it’s almost certain to become a family favorite! It’s just classic homestyle comfort food, that’s sure to brighten up those dark, out days, at least a little.

Then, as a side note, this is more of a stew (somewhere between a soup and a stew). If you want more liquid, feel free to add extra broth.

Ingredients Needed for Hamburger Soup

• Lean ground beef – I usually use 85% lean.
• Olive oil – just use standard refined olive oil, not extra virgin.
• Yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic – these aromatics are key to building up the flavor of the soup. Stick with fresh, not dried or frozen.
• Low-sodium beef broth – chicken broth will work great too.
• Canned fire-roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce – the tomatoes in this recipe perfectly complement the beef. If they happen to be a little tart, you can add a pinch or two of sugar to balance that acidity.
• Worcestershire sauce – in a pinch, you can omit this, but it does add a nice background flavor.
• Russet potatoes – red potatoes or yellow potatoes will work fine too.
• Oregano, thyme, parsley – you can use dried or fresh herbs for this recipe.
• Frozen peas – frozen corn will work great here as well.

How to Make Hamburger Soup on the Stovetop

1. Brown the beef: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble in beef, cook and break up beef until no longer pink, about 6 – 7 minutes. Transfer, leave a little fat in the pot.
2. Sauté the base vegetables: Add onion, carrots, and celery, and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
3. Add canned ingredients, potatoes, and seasonings: Pour in beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, potatoes, oregano, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer soup: Bring mixture to a light boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
5. Finish with peas and parsley: Stir in peas and let heat through. Stir in parsley and serve warm.

How to Make Hamburger Vegetable Soup in a Crockpot

This soup can also be made in a crock pot. To do so:

1. Brown beef in a skillet, and add it to the slow cooker.
2. Sauté base veggies (onion, carrot, celery, garlic), add to slow cooker.
3. Add canned ingredients, potatoes, and seasonings to the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low heat until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours.
5. Stir in peas, warm through. Stir in parsley.

How to Make Hamburger Soup in the Instant Pot

Another option is the Instant Pot. Here are those directions:

1. Brown beef in Instant Pot on “saute” setting, transfer beef to plate, leaving 1 Tbsp fat in pot.
2. Sauté carrot, onion, celery, and garlic in the Instant Pot. Turn to the “off” setting.
3. Add canned ingredients, potatoes, and seasonings to the Instant Pot.
4. Cover and seal, set the valve to the sealing position.
5. Set to “manual” mode and set to 8 minutes.
6. After time is up, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then you can quickly release any remaining pressure (stand back, it will sputter).
7. Stir in peas, heat through (they’ll heat in about 1 minute). Stir in parsley.

Can I Add Pasta?

Yes, pasta can be added, but if doing so, I’d omit the potatoes and replace them with 1 cup of dry pasta such as ditalini or macaroni; then you’ll also need to add 1 extra cup of broth to make up for what it will absorb.

Rice is another great addition to this soup. Add a cup of cooked rice, or reduce the liquid in the soup to make it more of a stew and serve it over rice. Leftovers tend to have less broth, so try it over rice later in the week.

Can I Substitute Cabbage or Other Fresh Vegetables?

Of course. Soups are so versatile, especially vegetable-based soups. You can swap other veggies in here like chopped cabbage, green beans, corn, asparagus, or zucchini.

Can Hamburger Soup Be Frozen?

Yes, it can be frozen. The potatoes do soften up some, but it’s still delicious. Store in an airtight container, leaving at least 3/4-inch at the top for expansion in the freezer.

Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

What About Using Other Herbs?

Lots of different herbs will pair well here and give it a new depth of flavor. You can try it with:

• basil
• bay leaves
• marjoram
• rosemary
• Italian seasoning blend
• onion powder
• bouillon cubes

Tips for the Best Hamburger Soup

• Use lean ground beef, at least 80% lean.
• Drain off extra fat after browning beef so the soup isn’t overly greasy. If you’d prefer to avoid this step, then just use very lean ground beef such as 92% lean.
• I recommend using Angus or grass-fed beef.
• Use fire-roasted tomatoes to boost flavor.
• Be sure to allow enough time to simmer so veggies come out tender. No one wants to bite into hard potatoes.
• Serve with a warm loaf of crusty bread for a complete meal.

More Beef Soup Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
• Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)
• Chili (Slow Cooker)
• Pasta Fagioli
• Taco Soup
• Vegetable Beef Soup