Hamburger Soup

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 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 stewp (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, 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 compliment 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

How to Make Hamburger Vegetable Soup in a Crockpot

This soup can also be made in a slow cooker. To do so:

How to Make Hamburger Soup in the Instant Pot

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

Can I Add Pasta?

Yes pasta can be added but if doing so I’d omit the potatoes and replace with 1 cup 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.

Can I Substitute Cabbage or Other 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 top for expansion. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

What About Using Other Herbs?

Lots of different herbs will pair well here. You can try it with:

basil bay leaves marjoram rosemary Italian seasoning blend

Tips for the Best Hamburger Soup

Use lean ground beef, at least 80% lean. Drain off extra fat after browning beef so 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 feed 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.