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Easy Hamburger Soup

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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.

a bowl of hamburger soup on a marble surface

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 95% extra lean ground beef so that none of the 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
a photo of labelled ingredients for easy hamburger soup recipe

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.

sauteing onions and celery and browning beef in a soup pot for easy hamburger soup

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until softened. Add in the garlic, and brown the ground beef.

adding tomato paste, potatoes, and diced tomatoes to a soup pot for hamburger soup recipe

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 extra lean (95% lean) ground beef, 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

close-up of a pot of easy hamburger soup with a ladle

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.

a bowl of hamburger soup on a marble surface

Easy Hamburger Soup

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!
4.91 from 53 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 253 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound extra lean (95% lean) ground beef
  • 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (28 fluid 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 for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
  • Stir in the garlic, followed by the beef. Cook until the beef has browned, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). You shouldn't need to drain much fat if you're using extra lean ground beef, but feel free to drain some/most of it if desired (I didn't drain any). 
  • 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.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 22gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 854mgPotassium: 1164mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 215IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 4mg
Keyword easy hamburger soup, ground beef soup
Author Natasha Bull

This recipe was originally published on January 30, 2019. It's been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!

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  1. Mallory says

    5 stars
    This soup is in our regular dinner rotation now! My very picky family members love it. I add a little corn, but that’s it! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!

    Reply

  2. Kate says

    5 stars
    We made this last night and it’s great! I added carrots at the start and some cooked broccoli near the end and extra seasoning overall, but it’s delicious! Thank you.

    Reply

  3. Ina says

    5 stars
    This was excellent and so easy to make! I added carrots, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire, and tripled the Italian seasoning. I used better than bouillon beef broth. Thank you for another great recipe to add to my rotation 🥰

    Reply

  5. Erin says

    5 stars
    Made this as directed except added some roasted diced green chilies I didn’t want to go to waste. It just adds mild heat to the soup. Delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

  6. Becky Acosta says

    5 stars
    Great soup! Just made it and my husband had seconds! I used 2 lbs 96% lean beef, 4 potatoes and added a can of corn (drained). Turned out so good! Thanks for another recipe to add to my rotation:)

    Reply

  7. Nene says

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I used spaghetti sauce instead of diced tomatoes and I added a red pepper. This soup is really easy to make and hard to mess up.

    Reply

  8. Lenny Wentworth says

    5 stars
    Quick soup. Very nice and flavorful.

    Held back on the salt & pepper and used Harissa and umami at the end. I cooked 1lb chub of 80/20 separately, cooked onions, celery and mushrooms in ghee via Instant Pot. added meat, potatoes, peas and carrots, seasoning, tomatoes, chicken and beef stock that was open.
    high pressure for ten minutes (we live at altitude)

    thumbs up!!!

    Reply

  9. Nikki says

    5 stars
    My husband loved the soup! I used one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and one regular. Will definitely put it in the rotation.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Absolutely! I think that would be delicious. I'd probably add 1/2 cup to start, towards the end of the recipe, then add a little more if you decide it needs it.

      Reply

  12. Lori Tinjum Johansen says

    5 stars
    Making this as we speak. I didn't include celery (the hubster hates it) or beef broth (used 4 cubes instead), doubled the garlic because we love that punch and doubled the potato. Just had a little sneak preview and have to say it's very flavorful! It's been rainy and windy here in NW Minnesota today, so it was absolutely perfect. I'll be making it again soon. <3

    Reply

  14. Erin says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was delicious! The seasoning makes it so comforting. I gave the kids bread sticks and they loved it! Hidden veggies for the kids! Winning!

    Reply

  16. P. Wilk says

    4 stars
    I added chopped cabbage, diced carrots, fresh parsley & red wine, plus extra hamburger as my husband is a meat lover. Due to food intolerances, I left out the onion & garlic. Still was very tasty; will make it again.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Joy! Thank you! So, it's 1/6 of the recipe. As to what that is in grams/ounces/etc., I have no idea, unfortunately. I am not a trained nutritionist, and I just provide the estimate the recipe card software calculates for me.

      Reply

  18. Lori says

    5 stars
    I've made this 3 times now, it's super delicious! Thank you so much for all your great recipes, I'm trying the cheeseburger soup tomorrow and am super excited!!

    Reply

    • Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says

      Amazing! Thrilled you enjoy the recipes and really appreciate your support. Enjoy the cheeseburger soup 🙂

      Reply

  19. Willie Roach says

    5 stars
    My Mom used to make Hamburger soup all the time & we loved it. I used your recipe but added a few ingredients. I added 1/2 chopped green pepper, 3 carrots, 5 chopped mushrooms and 1 cup of corn. I also mixed the hamburger with some ground moose meat. It's simmering on the stove right now and looks & smells great. Can't wait to have it for supper. Thanks for sharing your recipe !!!

    Reply

  20. Donna says

    I made this earlier in the week and my family has been enjoying it for several days. Delightful taste! I added cabbage to my soup as the directions suggested to add any vegetable. Holds up great even after three days.

    Reply

  21. Josie says

    5 stars
    Making it now I used frozen vegetables and added a can of corn. Will serve with jalapeño cheddar bread that I made earlier.

    Reply

  22. Cindy says

    5 stars
    I made this a couple weeks ago, I added carrots and green beans to it as well, absolutely delicious. I have hamburger in the fridge I need to use, so will be making it again!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Sure! I think the crushed tomatoes would work. The tomato soup may change flavors a bit but should be fine if that's all you've got. Enjoy!

      Reply

      • Jeffrey See says

        Crushed tomatoes work just fine. We are making batch #2 tonight. We are adding more potatoes, and I add fish sauce to enhance the umami. Last time we had beef stock on hand and didn’t think it was beefy enough. Added the stock and viola! Fantastic soup!

        Reply

  27. Patti says

    I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I added Smoked Paprika and used The “No Salt” in place of regular salt. It came out perfectly and my our family absolutely loves it!!! 😊

    Reply

  28. EVELYN C VASQUEZ says

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I didn't have tomato paste, so I used a can of tomato sauce. When I plated it, I put a few cubes of Velveeta in the bottom of each bowl. It melted nicely and added creaminess

    Reply

  29. Amy says

    5 stars
    Making it right now! Smells and looks so good! My family can't wait for dinner time! Serving it with garlic toasted hamburger buns! Thanks for the yumminess!

    Reply

  32. Tracy from Texas says

    5 stars
    This is one of my most favorites. It’s so easy and like you say forgiving. I always throw in carrots and extra celery. My question is if this soup freezes well. Thank you sharing your great recipes!

    Reply

  33. Lynn Tirawi says

    Hello ,
    I am planning to make this soup , I was wanting to know if the celery is a must or could you substitute for green bell pepper ?

    Thanks
    Lynn

    Reply

    • Darlene says

      I actually held out on the diced tomatoes and did 1 chopped jalapeno, 1 whole onion, 1 red bell pepper and since I love celery I added 2 extra stalks. This soup is excellent and very versatile.

      Reply