OP One Pan GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free FF Freezer Friendly SC Slow Cooker

Easy Hamburger Soup Recipe

4.8

1 hr 25 mins

About this soup

This soup is seriously easy to make. You’ll need a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a Dutch oven or soup pan. It will take about fifteen minutes to get the soup going, and about an hour to simmer the soup.

Prep the onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes and you’re on your way to delicious soup.

Brown a pound of ground beef in the pan, breaking up large clumps. Drain the beef if there’s lots of grease. Put the onions, celery, and carrots in the pan with the beef, and cook until they start to soften up. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and stir it around for one more minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the parsley, bring the soup to a boil, turn down the heat, and let it simmer. Give the soup a stir now and then just to make sure everything’s okay. When it’s time to eat, stir in the parsley, and holler out, “Soup’s on!”

What you need

Ground Beef: Ground turkey is good too, as well as other types of ground meat. We do love a lean ground beef for this recipe, though.
Veggies: For this hearty soup you’ll need onions (just a regular ol’ onion will work!), celery, and carrots. Try to cut them all roughly the same size.
Potatoes: We like russet potatoes for this recipe because they hold up pretty well in the soup. Yukon golds or red potatoes are fine, too.
Beef Broth: Low sodium is preferable, so that you can control the amount of salt in the soup.
Tomatoes: A combination of canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste give this soup lots of tomato flavor. If you can get low-sodium, all the better.
Seasonings: This soup doesn’t need much! Just garlic, salt, pepper, and a dash of sugar. Fresh chopped parsley stirred in before serving adds fresh flavor. If you don’t have fresh, dried will work, just add it with the other seasonings instead of waiting until the end.

Overhead view of soup in a white dutch oven.

How to make hamburger soup in the slow cooker

It’s easy to adapt this recipe for your slow cooker. Simply brown the hamburger in a skillet, and add it to your crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients (except the parsley). Cover, and cook on High for four hours, or on Low for eight hours, or until you’re ready for dinner. Add parsley immediately before serving.

How to make this cozy soup your own

Hamburger soup is so versatile. Here’s a few suggestions for you but feel free to experiment (which is just another way to say use what’s in your pantry) and come up with your own special recipe.

Use any type of ground meat: turkey, sausage, lamb, pork, venison. If the meat has a lot of fat, drain it after browning.
Love cheesy soup? Garnish each serving with shredded cheese. Or try this Chunky Cheeseburger Soup. You’ll love it!
Make your hamburger soup with macaroni or with barley instead of potatoes. The macaroni/barley will absorb some of the liquid so you’ll end up with a thicker soup, or you can add more broth if you want.
Substitute sweet potatoes for the regular potatoes.
Bulk up the veggie count with cabbage, spinach, or kale, chopped or shredded. Or stir in frozen peas or corn right before serving.
For a low carb/keto soup, omit the potatoes and carrots. Add mushrooms, browning them with the ground beef, and add spinach, kale, or chard.
Like soup without tomatoes? Try this creamy chicken rice soup or keep reading for lots more delicious soup recipes.

Close up of soup with ground beef, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and celery.

FAQs

How do I add flavor to beef soup?

Start with a good quality beef broth. If you want to add flavor after the soup has been made, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, or miso will add more flavor. Often, just adding more salt and pepper helps a lot. I like to increase the acidity of the soup just a bit by adding a splash of red wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice at the end of the cooking time. You’d be surprised how much difference that makes!

What can I use if I don’t have beef broth?

I often substitute chicken or vegetable broth if I don’t happen to have beef broth. It’s likely that you won’t notice the difference. If you happen to have beef bouillon cubes, paste, or granules, add that to your soup to “beef” up the broth.

What is the best soup for upset stomach?

I think most everyone would vote for Chicken Noodle Soup (I love this easy Instant Pot recipe). It’s not spicy or tomato-y which could aggravate an upset stomach. Creamy Chicken Rice Soup always seems to do the trick, too.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Hamburger soup is great leftover! I do a happy dance when I can look forward to a nice bowl of soup for lunch the next day. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

Reheat on medium-low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warmed though, stirring each time.

Unfortunately, this soup does not freeze well because the potatoes have an unappetizing texture when thawed.

Overhead view of soup, parsley, and bread.

Soup’s on: More recipes

Soup is such a great meal, especially when it’s chock-full of vegetables. It’s kind of a sneaky way to slip in veggies. Here’s a few more recipes to get your mouth watering: