Hamburger Soup

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This humble and simple Hamburger Soup recipe is the perfect comforting dinner or quick weeknight meal. Filled with ground beef and veggies with a hearty and flavorful broth, this soup will make it to the weekly rotation. Serve with some fresh rolls and salad and that is a complete meal. Browse my full soup and stew archive here for more ideas.

Hamburger Soup Basics

This Hamburger Soup recipe is made up of a few essential ingredients, all of which are easy to find at any grocery store.

1. Ground Beef: I like using a super lean ground beef to avoid having to drain it. I’ve been able to find 96/4 lately and that is what I’ve been using.
2. Veggies: a lot of typical culprits here like onion, potatoes, carrots and broccoli. Traditionally green bean and even peas and/or corn is added too. The beauty of this recipe is you can make it with what you have on hand and it will still come out tasting delicious.
3. Broth and Spices: the backdrop of this recipe is made up of beef broth, a little tomato sauce, garlic powder, bay leaves and Italian Seasoning. The longer you let this cook, the more flavor it gets. I found the salt and garlic powder was key to getting this taste right where I wanted it.

Fresh Vegetables versus Canned or Frozen

Like you probably can tell, I used fresh onions, carrots, potatoes and broccoli but frozen or even canned are a-ok to use! Just be sure to add them in near the end of the 25 minutes of cooking to ensure they don’t get too mushy. The frozen vegetable medley is a good, readily available option as are some canned peas, carrots and corn. Zucchini, green beans, kidney beans or even cabbage can work in this soup! The sky is really the limit.

To make this soup a little more hearty, consider adding in 1 cup of short cut pasta, like elbow macaroni, ditalini or shells with an additional 1 cup of beef broth in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Delicious!

Need other ground beef recipes? Look no further! Here are a few of my favorites: The Best Sloppy Joes, Healthier Korean Beef, Simple Sunday Meatloaf, The Best Burger Recipe, Easy Meatballs.

How to Make Hamburger Soup

The hardest part of this recipe is chopping veggies and waiting for this soup to simmer 25 minutes. Don’t forget the recipe card with exact ingredients, measurements and directions are at the end of this post.

1- Sauté the Onions in Olive Oil

Dice the onions and add to a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. (This is my favorite soup pot!)

Can I Make Hamburger Soup in a Slow Cooker?

Yes! This would be a perfect set it and forget it type of soup! I would suggest browning the ground beef before throwing it in the slow cooker. Then toss in your veggies and let the slow cooker do the rest, 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

2- Add in the Ground Beef and Break Apart as it Browns.

If you are using a fattier ground beef (I’d suggest anything below 93/7), brown it first, drain, and then saute with onions.

Can I Substitute Ground Beef with Ground Turkey?

Yes! If you have ground turkey you prefer/want to use, it would be a great option with this soup!

3- Add the Broth, Veggies and Spices

Once the beef has browned completely, stir in the potatoes, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, bay leaves, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and plenty of salt and pepper. Increase heat to high, bring to boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. The larger they are cut, the longer they will take to soften.

4- Add the Broccoli and Serve

In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add in the broccoli. This is a quicker cooking veggie and this ensures it won’t get mushy. Once the broccoli is tender, remove the bay leaves, ladle into bowls and serve.

What to Serve with Hamburger Soup

I always get stuck on the soup-salad-sandwich thinking and usually offer something along those lines with any soup I’m serving. Our current favorites are these Italian-inspired Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, No-Knead Crescent Rolls, Wedge Salad or even a fruit salad.

If you have kids (like I do!) try making smoothie to go along with dinner. It’s my latest craze that has really caught on. My kids LOVE a good smoothie. This tropical one is the current favorite. Bonus points if you throw in a handful of spinach or frozen cauliflower! (Yes, frozen cauliflower works perfectly in a smoothie as long as you don’t add too much so it can go undetected.)

Storing Leftovers

Leftover soup will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you want to freeze the leftovers, let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight, freezer safe container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months!

More Soup Recipes to Try!

• Easy Taco Soup
• Beef Stew (Crockpot Recipe)
• Irish Beef Stew Recipe with Mashed Potatoes
• The Best Chili Recipe
• Vegetable Beef Soup

I hope you enjoy this simple Hamburger Soup as much as my family does! If you make this as is or put your own spin on it, I’d love to hear about it! And as always, be sure to pin/print/save/bookmark this recipe. It’s a great one that you’ll want to save for the cooler months that will be here before we know it.

Have a great day, friends!