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This hamburger soup recipe is a simple and hearty meal made with ground beef, potatoes, and a delicious tomato broth. It’s a budget friendly complete meal that makes excellent leftovers!
You may also like my Instant Pot Hamburger Soup recipe.
Why you’ll love it
Hamburger soup is one of those classic American comfort food dishes that’s easy to like and friendly on your wallet! You can’t go wrong with this cozy soup that has ground beef, potatoes, and a tomato broth that’s big on flavor.
The best part of this soup is how easy to make it is. It’s also full of inexpensive ingredients, and it’s an extremely versatile and flexible recipe. You can simply toss in whatever veggies you have on hand that need using up, and it’ll taste great.
What is hamburger soup?
- As for the name, it’s called hamburger soup because of the ground beef, which is sometimes referred to as hamburger meat. This soup doesn’t actually taste like hamburgers, and it’s essentially a satisfying and simple ground beef soup. It’s sort of like a quick and easy alternative to Beef Stew.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil, onions, and celery – sautéing these essentials creates the perfect base for this hearty soup
- Garlic – we’re using three cloves to add depth of flavor
- Ground beef – adding protein makes this soup a complete meal. I like to use lean ground beef so that none/very little fat needs to be discarded during cooking
- Tomato paste and diced tomatoes – using both varieties gives the soup great texture and taste, and tomatoes are a classic complement to ground beef
- Beef broth – amps up the flavor even more than using water. Use homemade or store-bought
- Potatoes – Russets are my choice, but in a pinch yellow or red will be fine
- Italian seasoning – the herbs in Italian seasoning like oregano, thyme, and rosemary are the final touch in this tasty broth. Feel free to use fresh herbs instead
- Salt & pepper – if you use regular broth vs low sodium, you won’t need to add much salt, but be sure to use enough
Did you know?
- A 32 oz carton of beef broth equals 4 cups. Just pour the entire thing in for this recipe!
How to make hamburger soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large soup pot, sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until softened. Add in the garlic, and brown the ground beef.
Add in the tomato paste followed by the diced tomatoes, broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then let bubble gently for 20 to 25 minutes.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t like having pieces of tomato in your soup, use petite diced tomatoes or sub the diced tomatoes for tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, and then add more broth or water to thin if needed.
- You can throw in any vegetables from your fridge, or you can use frozen chopped mixed vegetables (for example, corn, green beans, carrots, or peas). A handful of spinach added when the soup is nearly done cooking would be terrific!
Helpful tips
- I used Russet potatoes, but feel free to sub with a different kind. I really like using Russets in soups because they fall apart easily since they’re a starchy variety.
- I use lean ground beef (use up to 95% lean if you like), so I don’t find it necessary to discard any of the fat. This saves a bit of work, and the little bit of fat that’s left over gives the soup a flavor boost! You can drain the fat if you want. I certainly recommend draining some out if you use regular ground beef, or the soup will end up oily.
- Depending on what kind of tomatoes you use, your soup could be less vibrant than the photos. That’s totally ok!
Leftovers and storage
- This hamburger soup makes fantastic leftovers, and they’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- For best results, heat up in a saucepan slowly over a low heat.
- It also freezes well. Consume within 3 months of freezing for best results.
More soups with ground beef to try
Do you like hamburger soup? Will you give this recipe a try? Let me know in the comments below! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Easy Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, onion, and celery to a large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by the beef. Cook until the beef has just browned, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). You shouldn't need to drain much fat if you're using lean ground beef, but feel free to drain some/most of it if desired.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning.
- Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit so it’s gently boiling. Cook for 20-25 minutes. You can cook it a little bit longer to intensify the flavor if you wish.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- Anything from about 1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef will work.
- Got an electric pressure cooker? Try the Instant Pot version of this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on January 30, 2019. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
I red every thing that’s needed to make the hamburger soup but I didn’t hear water mentioned.When you mention cook the vegies what are you using?
Hi! I’m a little confused by your comment. It all cooks right in the same pot. There’s no water in the recipe, but there’s canned tomatoes (with their juices), and 4 cups of beef broth.
Same veggies but try V8 juice instead of tomato paste and water.
Thanks for the V8 reminder!
Yum! I’ve added my own veggies and instead of potatoes (didn’t have any) used spaghetti noodles. Also added 1 cup of hot water. Thank you so much. God bless everyone 💕
I have used tomato juice for extra liquid along with the beef broth..
This is a great hearty soup with lots of flavour. I used my Dutch oven and after bringing to a boil placed it in the oven with the lid on for a good hour. I served with fresh chopped basil. Yummm!
So glad you liked it! Can’t beat fresh basil 🙂
will this work in a slow cooker?
I don’t see why not. You could brown the sausage first or just leave it to cook in the crockpot.
I always cook my hamburger soup in a crock pot. Spray the crock pot with non stick cooking spray. Brown the ground beef first then add to crock pot. Throw the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot and cook.
Good idea! Thanks for the tip!
Like the soup easy to make
Great! Thanks, Dorothy.
I want to learn how to make the hamburger soup..
Hi Donna! The recipe and steps are just above the comments. Can you not see it?
Easy, delicious and pretty in the bowl!!
I will definitely make this again!! Thanks!
Yay! so happy you liked it, Linda!
Easy to make and just as easy to eat. Thank you ….our 5 kids loved it!
So happy to hear it!!
Had this growing up. Now when I make it I put carrots,squash,cabbage, corn and anything else I can find in the fridge. 😀
Haha good plan! It’s definitely a good way to stop produce from going to waste. 🙂
I just bought ground beef yesterday! Perfect timing! Thank you for taking care of my dinner decision!
You are very welcome! Hope you enjoy the soup. 🙂
This soup looks wonderful! So hearty and satisfying! I’ve never had Hamburger Soup before, but I’ll definitely have to remedy that!
Thanks so much, Kelly!
Hi! Would this freeze well? 🙂
Yes. The potatoes may disintegrate a bit, but other than that it would be fine. ☺️
when you say Italian seasoning what do you mean,does it come in a jar,a packet what,thanks
Hi Joyce! It’s a standard mixture of herbs that most grocery stores will sell in the herbs/spices section. I typically buy the McCormick brand jars. Many brands will carry it, though.