Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup

This simple, healthy, and easy Hamburger Soup is pure comfort in a bowl, and it has stood the test of time for generations! Best of all, the one pot meal can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for a simple weeknight dinner!

Total Time: 1 hour

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This simple, healthy, and easy Hamburger Soup is pure comfort in a bowl, and it has stood the test of time for generations! Best of all, the one pot meal can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for a simple weeknight dinner!

My Great Aunt Bee has helped to carry on my grandmother’s memory by sharing with me some of the recipes that they enjoyed together. This Hamburger Soup recipe is probably the one dish that Aunt Bee has talked about the most, and she has continued to make it (along with her friends and family) long since my grandmother passed away.

That’s what’s so great about these classic recipes. They connect generations, foster memories, and help us all recapture a bit of the past every time we make them.

As I was standing in my kitchen chopping the vegetables for this soup, Spence was happily crawling around at my feet and the older boys were outside in the yard doing “jobs” with their dad. All that I could think about was my grandmother and Aunt Bee, hanging out together in the kitchen, and doing the same exact thing. Chopping veggies, kids playing nearby, and the aroma of sautéed beef and onion wafting through the house. Some things change, but many others do not!

How do you make homemade Hamburger Soup?

I’m going to show you how to make homemade Hamburger Soup in exactly the same way as my grandmother used to make it. These stovetop instructions come directly from the handwritten recipe card that Aunt Bee mailed me many years ago, so let’s get right to it!

First, brown ground hamburger meat and chopped onion in a big pot.

Drain the fat from the pot, and then add the vegetables: carrots, celery, canned diced tomatoes, green beans, and a bay leaf.

Pour in beef broth and water, bring to boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes (or until the vegetables are tender). Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and your warm, cozy bowl of soup is ready! So simple, right?!

How to Make Hamburger Soup in the Crock Pot:

Okay, so here’s where I differ from my grandmother. The stovetop method that I explained above it obviously very straightforward and not too time consuming. Sometimes, however, you just want to dump everything in your slow cooker and come home to a warm meal that’s ready and waiting! Enter…the Crock Pot.

You can make the Hamburger Soup in the slow cooker by following the same basic steps. First, brown the beef and onion in a skillet. Drain, and transfer to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.

What can I put in Hamburger Soup?

My grandmother’s recipe is obviously very basic. I have tweaked it over the years on many different occasions, depending on the ingredients that I have on hand. Here are a few additional ideas to put in Hamburger Soup:

• Hamburger Soup with Cabbage: this is one option that my grandmother actually used regularly. You can see my Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup recipe here, which is really just a modified version of this soup.
• Hamburger Soup with Noodles or Pasta: for a heartier, more filling soup, try stirring in cooked egg noodles or a short pasta of your choice — like rotini or elbow macaroni.
• Hamburger Soup with Rice or Hamburger Soup with Barley: both of these short grains make a nice addition to the soup as well!
• Potatoes or turnips are another nice add-in, which my grandmother used regularly.
• Try adding more of your favorite seasonings, such as garlic, turmeric, chili powder, or even a dash of curry powder.
• Fresh herbs! You will notice that I have included a bit of fresh parsley in these photos, which is definitely not an accident. My memory of my grandmother’s food is that it was always garnished with fresh parsley, which adds a delicious bright flavor (and color) to the meal!

What to serve with Hamburger Soup:

• Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
• 3-Ingredient Breadsticks
• Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
• Old Virginia Plantation Spoon Bread
• No-Knead 3-Ingredient Beer Bread

Looking for even more cozy soup recipes to try this season? Check out these favorites:

• Easy Taco Soup
• Healthy and Easy Pumpkin Soup
• Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
• The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I will continue to share this recipe with my own loved ones, in the hopes that it continues to stand the test of time. Hamburger Soup is a healthy, gluten-free option to happily feed a crowd!

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!

5 from 2 votes

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Grandmother's Hamburger Soup

This simple, healthy, and easy Hamburger Soup is pure comfort in a bowl, and it has stood the test of time for generations! Best of all, the one pot meal can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for a simple weeknight dinner!

Course Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Hamburger Soup, Hamburger Soup in the Crock Pot

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12 cups

Calories 131.4 kcal

Author Blair

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean hamburger ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups green beans (I use frozen French cut green beans)
• 4 cups beef broth or beef stock
• 4 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional garnish: fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Brown the hamburger and onion in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain, and return to pot.

2. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, green beans, broth, water, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer (uncovered) until vegetables are tender (approximately 20-30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Recipe Notes

How to Make Hamburger Soup in the Crock Pot:

First, brown the beef and onion in a skillet. Drain, and transfer to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.

What can I put in Hamburger Soup?

My grandmother's recipe is obviously very basic. I have tweaked it over the years on many different occasions, depending on the ingredients that I have on hand. Here are a few additional ideas to put in Hamburger Soup:

• Hamburger Soup with Cabbage: this is one option that my grandmother actually used regularly. You can see my Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup recipe here, which is really just a modified version of this soup.
• Hamburger Soup with Noodles or Pasta: for a heartier, more filling soup, try stirring in cooked egg noodles or a short pasta of your choice -- like rotini or elbow macaroni.
• Hamburger Soup with Rice or Hamburger Soup with Barley: both of these short grains make a nice addition to the soup as well! Cook the rice or barley before adding it to the pot at the end.
• Potatoes or turnips are another nice add-in, which my grandmother used regularly.
• Try adding more of your favorite seasonings, such as garlic, turmeric, chili powder, or even a dash of curry powder.
• Fresh herbs! They add a delicious bright flavor (and color) to the meal!

Nutrition Facts

Grandmother's Hamburger Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 131.4 Calories from Fat 71

% Daily Value*

Fat 7.9g12%

Saturated Fat 3.1g19%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 3.4g

Cholesterol 28.4mg9%

Sodium 336.9mg15%

Potassium 195.7mg6%

Carbohydrates 6.3g2%

Fiber 2.1g9%

Sugar 3.2g4%

Protein 8.7g17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was originally published in November, 2014. It was updated in December, 2018.